Stories to be ReWritten: 2 Lavenders and Pomegranates
by DaughterOfPoseidon2.0
Summary: Remember were we left off in Stories to be Rewritten? Well, I couldn't just leave it where it was, so here is a sequel! But this time, we are fallowing Elisabeth: 18 year old Demigod of Aphrodite who just graduated from high school. But when she starts doubting her love life, things take a turn for the mythological.
1. Chapter 1

'It has been four years.

Four years of hard work, misunderstanding, trials and errors. Four years of broken trusts, mended faith, and newfound allies.

Everything has changed. People, places, the sky, the earth, everything. It seemed only a matter of time before the people who refused to change were going to have to.

But I swore I will never change.'

"Hey! Cupcake!" Elisabeth looked up from her notebook, a towel wrapped around her neck and her long, honey brown hair tied back in a messy bun. Sweat was glistening off her skin as she tried not show how hard she was breathing. "Breaks over! You going to keep writing or we going to get back to learning?"

Elisabeth grinned wide and brightly at who had spoken at her, flicking the towel onto the rest area ground like an old rag. Her father's old friend, who also turned out to be a daughter of Ares, was standing in the middle of the boxing arena. She was just as sweaty and twice as strong as Elisabeth was, but it didn't really matter. They always trained together, the wiser and older demigod teaching the younger everything she ever knew. Every dirty trick, every defensive counter, anything she could think of that would save the Aphrodite girl in the future. "Ok ok! I'll be right there, Mrs. Rodriguez!" The woman groaned and pointed a tapped up hand at her.

"I told you to calm me Clarisse, Cupcake!" She bellowed, punching her fists together. "Do I got to punch your lights out again to make you remember that?" Elisabeth laughed as she put down her notebook and mechanical pencil replacing them with a roll of sports tape that she started wrapping her left hand in as she made her way to the area Clarisse was at.

Clarisse and her we the only two people in the gym, due to how early in the morning it was and the fact that the gym wasn't even open yet. Both of them were wearing just their sports bras and some spandex shorts, Clarisse in her usual red and black ensemble, and Elisabeth in her black and white one. They had been practicing for hours, before the sun had even started rising into the sky. First with stretching for a half hour, then with weigh room reps for two hours on all the machines, then a cool down jog around New York as the sun started to peak up over the horizon. It was 6:30 am now.

Elisabeth slipped through the bars and stepped into the arena, tape already covering her one hand. She started putting some on her other hand when Clarisse started the lesson. Elisabeth dodged a left hook and a jumped back, out of her reach as she horridly finished with her other hand and threw the tap over the bars and onto the cement ground. She dodged another left hook, jumping as she saw Clarisse's legs go in to sweep out her legs from under her. There, just a split second, was an opening in her defenses, and Elisabeth took advantage. Still in midair, she kicked forward, pushing into Clarisse's exposed shoulder, and the teacher fell backwards onto the ground.

"Not bad, Cupcake." She mused as she got up, a evil grin on her face. "You've been practicing."

Elisabeth didn't take it as a complement, not at this moment. In the past, the minute she let her guard down, she would end up on the ground with the wind knocked out of her. She made that mistake three times, and the third time was the charm. Instead, she moved forward and kicked at her trainer's kneecap. The daughter of Ares easily dodged the attempt, but found a fist in her side. Elisabeth punched her again, aiming for the other side. But she bent out of the way as a fist almost hit her in the face, and she ducked low when a roundhouse kick came at her.

"Good! Good!"

Elisabeth, not focused on her words, took a second to breath while leaving her guard up. There was another opening in her defense, but Elisabeth knew it was a trap. How? It was in the same place as the last one. She jumped over Clarisse, landing and delivering a kick to her side as she turned to face the daughter of Aphrodite. They went on for hours, Elisabeth not letting her guard down, and Clarisse taking the beating. But Elisabeth learned too late that that was the trick today. And she learned it the hard way.

Elisabeth was breathing hard, the sweat clouding her vision as it started dripping into her amber eyes. "Well done, Cupcake." Clarisse said, whipping the blood off her lip from a well placed punch. She spit more blood onto the ground and smirked, not as tired as Elisabeth was. "But now you are wide open." She ran at her, Elisabeth's aching body not able to move to a safer location in time, and pegged her in the stomach like a linebacker on a football team. It felt like Elisabeth got hit by a train at high speed. She collapsed onto the ground, her body sliding a little from all the sweat that had collected on her. Clarisse stood over her, a smirk on her face. "Lesson of the day: Let your opponent do all the work. It wears them down, giving you the advantage. Understand?" Elisabeth nodded, gasping for air as she felt the mat burns on her back start to sting.

Clarisse offered her a hand to help her up. "Come on, training a over. Lets hit the showers." Elisabeth nodded and took her hand, pulling herself to her aching feet, almost falling over onto the ground again. "Oh great, I overworked you again Cupcake?" Clarisse said in a concerned tone as she sling her arm under her and helped her to the breakout area. Elisabeth shook her head.

"No, no Im fine."

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Lier. Come on, sit down. I'll get you some water."

Elisabeth did as she was told, her shoulders hunching over as she felt the exhaustion hit her, sort of like a tax collector hounding someone on due day. Only, that was mentally stressing. Clarisse came back a few minutes later with three bottles of water, opened one, and handed it to Elisabeth.

"Here kid." Elisabeth didn't say a word, just grabbed it and started chugging it down. She had not realized how dehydrated she was. Clarisse sat down next to her and opened another, taking sips of it. "Need another?" She asked when Elisabeth finished the first bottle. She nodded, and the older demigod handed her the other unopened bottle. "So, you gunna tell me why your trying to kill yourself?"

Elisabeth arched an eyebrow, taking a sip of the water before answering. "I'm not."

"I call bullshit." Elisabeth sighed. Clarisse was like a mother, and honestly, it was annoying when she knew things like when you lie.

"Fine. I'm just a little stressed." The daughter of Aphrodite confessed, taking another sip of water before the inevitable happened.

"At what? You already graduated High School with flying colors. All you have to worry about is camp." Clarisse raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of, don't you leave tomorrow for it?" Elisabeth nodded. "Then why the hell are you here!? You should be packing!" Elisabeth groaned.

"I packed yesterday." She said, her breath and heartbeat slowly turning back to their normal rhythms, as well as her body starting to feel a little like led. "I'm giving Percy and Nico some time to themselves before we leave. I'm just going to hang around the malls or something."

"Ah." Clarisse said, leaning back against the wall a little. "How are Seaweed Brain and Dead Weight?" Elisabeth chuckled. She only learned about four years ago that Clarisse knew her adopted fathers from when they went to camp together. It was quite a funny reunion.

"They are fine." Elisabeth replied politely, rolling her sore shoulder slowly backwards to see if it was dislocated. Fortunately, it wasn't. "Percy and Nico have started fussing about collage and what I'm gunna be when I grow up." Clarisse nodded.

"Your real dad would be freaking out too, you know." Elisabeth sighed sadly, nodding. This was her father's last gift to her. And now that she was 18, it was hers. But she still let Clarisse own it. She needed time to get through her last year of camp till she could make any claims to this place. To her sanctuary.

"I know." Clarisse looked at her, patting her shoulder softly. It took Elisabeth off guard, cause she wasn't used to her personal trainer slash family friend being this nice to anyone.

"It's Nick and Henry, isn't it." It wasn't phrased as a question, but she nodded anyway. "Spill."

"Ok, so I like Nick a lot, sure." Elisabeth started.

"But?"

"But he keeps on trying to leash me! It's like, well, say I wanted to come here every day."

"Uh hu?"

"And then he says I can't just cause its not right for a Daughter of Aphrodite to be training like a Ares kid."

"So basically he's telling you you can't. Like Dead Weight tried to."

"Exactly! And if I do it anyway, he doesn't talk to me for a week!"

Clarisse looked at her, her eyebrow raised in utter confusion. "And your still dating him after four years of this bull crap?" Elisabeth nodded again, sighing and taking a sip of water. She was starting to feel like normal now, minus her whole body feeling like jello and led. "How the hell haven't you moved on?"

"I don't think he'll let me. If I got kidnapped, he would run after me. If I ran away, he would hunt me down. It's the Aphrodite and Hephaestus effect! I swear, if he starts setting traps when he gets suspicious of me cheating, which I don't, I'll bash his brains out with my bare hands!"

"You got the strength for it." Clarisse mused. Elisabeth chuckled a little. "And Henry?"

"He is still the best friend a girl can ask for." Elisabeth said, leaning her elbows on her legs and placing her head in her hands, smiling a little as if the mentioning of him made her day brighter. "We can talk about anything, and he understands. We like the same exact things, we understand each others pasts, and better yet I feel comfortable to be myself around him!" Clarisse chuckled a little, patting Elisabeth on the back.

"Sounds like your dating the wrong brother."

"Hu?"

"Ok, story time, Cupcake." Clarisse said as she cleared her throat. "You know my husband, Chris Rodriguez, right?"

"Hermes demigod son, right?"

"Yeah." Clarisse said, smiling a little. "He used to be a bad guy, when Luke was awakening Kronos." Elisabeth bolted upright.

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Everyone wanted him dead, and they didn't trust him after he pulled that stunt." The daughter of the god of war continued, her tone taking on that of reminiscing. "But I fell in love with him none the less."

Elisabeth listened, interested in this now. Her fathers only told her some of the story, but never much about some of the other people in it. It was mostly just from Percy's perspective, too. Nico didn't like talking about those times at all. "How did you two manage to stay together?" Clarisse chuckled lightly to herself. Her eyes reflected a sadness that ran as deep as a undersea trench.

"It's tough... The memories of the war keep me up sometimes... And Chris... Well... He still has nightmares about what happened in the Labyrinth." Elisabeth nodded. "But we stay strong because we love each other... We excepted each other. So," Clarisse turned her dark drown eyes on Elisabeth, catching her amber stare and holding it firmly, like a snake handler would hold the head to keep it from biting him or her. "moral is: find someone who loves you for you and won't try and change you. Understand?"

Elisabeth nodded. "Understood, ma'am." Clarisse smiled a rare smile and ruffled her shoulder, handing her a clean towel.

"Hit the showers. You got a long day ahead of you."

Elisabeth washed herself down in the shower room, the dull lighting creating a horror movie atmosphere. She was used to this, even loved that feeling. But she knew something was off today. As she turned off the hot water, she heard a 'clank' noise from the other side of the room. Normally, if it were any other time, she would think it was someone coming out of a stall. But she was the only one in here, as far as she knew.

Slowly drying off, she wrapped herself in the towel and slowly pulled out a set of bronze rings. Twisting them lightly on her fingers, they grew into Celestial Bronze brass knuckles, encasing her bruised hand in its bronze plating. She heard footsteps lightly tread across the tile floor, and she pressed herself to the shower stall wall, ready to take the jump on whoever was in here. But when the light footsteps stopped, she waited. And waited. It was ten minutes before she decided to peak around the doorway, even if it was a trap, to see if whoever it was was still there.

But no one was.

She sighed, holding her chest as her heart tried to pounding its way out of her ears. 'Your getting just as paranoid as dads.' She thought to herself as she made her way to her locker and opened it. Slipping out of the towel, she started changing into her normal street cloths. As always, it was something girly and flattering, and pink. Pink shirt that showed off her cleavage, bleached out skinny jeans that felt like she had to be poured into, her black Converse that were worn, faded, and ready to fall apart at any second, and a black bandana around her head like a headband. The only thing she liked about the outfit was the Converse and the bandana. everything else can go to deepest depth of Tartarus for all she cared

She looked around the locker room one last time, having the strangest feeling she was being watched. 'Your just paranoid.' She thought, shaking her head and pulling her drawstring bag out of the locker, containing her sketchpad. 'Its all in your imagination.' But she still kept her bronze knuckles out, just in case, as she made her way towards the exit door. She held the handle in her hand, when she heard hissing.

"Oh great."


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh great? Oh great?!" Elisabeth recognized that Bostonian accent almost immediately, sighing a breath of relief. "Is that any way to say 'Hi' to a friend?!"

Elisabeth laughed. "You got the glasses on?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I got them on. Don't worry." The voice snapped in annoyance. "Think I would turn up here without them? Oh, I think not!" Elisabeth turned around, grinning ear to ear.

The person behind her was a woman, looking to be about eighteen or nineteen years old in looks. She had a white walking cane in her hands, a pair of black glasses that were used by blind people covering her eyes, and a smile on her cardboard tan face. She was wearing a pair of leather skinny jeans that had a snakeskin pattern on them, her black and green corset showing off her perfect curves and boobs. Or, at least, the lack there of. She was also wearing a beat up black biker jacket, black biker boots, leather gloves, and a a black snapback on her head with a viper embroidered onto it. If you looked carefully enough, you would notice the hat move every so slightly.

Elisabeth put her hands on her hips and playfully gave the woman a look of anger. "I thought we agreed to not meet here, Gorgon." The woman crossed her arms across her chest and arched an eyebrow over her glasses.

"I have a name, demigod."

"Sorry." Elisabeth said,a smile creeping onto her face. "What's the deal, Serpentina?"

The woman groaned, a smile crossing her face as she let her arms fall to her side. "It is just Tina, you brat!" She said, laughing a little as she made her way to one of the mirrors near the door. Taking off the hat and glasses, Elisabeth leaned on the wall a good distance from her. Tina ran her fingers through the short mohawk of poisonous snakes, calming them down as they tried to wriggle and writhe in annoyance and uncomforted stuffiness. "Oh hush guys, it wasn't that bad." She said in hushed tones at the snakes. Elisabeth looked in the mirror, meeting the reflection's green snake eyes.

"All right, spill. What's the deal with dropping in?" Tina shrugged, taking a tube of lipstick out of her pocket and started applying it to her lips, revealing a small set of fangs.

"Can a girl come and see a friend before they go back to the stupid camp and become a brainwashed zombie?" She said jokingly, making a POP sound with her lips as she rubbed the scarlet lipstick into her top and bottom lips. "Or do I have to tell you that I missed you like the lesbian I am?" Elisabeth rolled her eyes. If there was one thing she loved about this Gorgon, it was her sarcasm.

"Or you want me to make sure that no one kills you if they find you this summer."

Tina rolled her eyes. "For once in your life, can you just except that I care about something other than myself?After all, I did save your skinny butt a time or two in the past." Elisabeth laughed and nodded.

"Truth, but I was the one to save yours first."

"Yeah, by not killing me on the first quest you ever went on."

"Oh shut up." Tina arched an eyebrow, debating if it was worth going on and on, just to annoy the demigod girl a little bit more.

"So, as a way of saying goodbye, I am taking you clubbing tonight!"

'Guess she didn't want to keep going with that.' Elisabeth thought as she sighed. "I can't. Dads want me home by eight tonight." Tina groaned.

"You're dads are being buzz kills. Fine, Plan B. We go to the park and get drunk off nectar shots." Elisabeth groaned.

"Underaged. Not all of us are three hundred years old and counting." Tina rolled her snake eyes.

"Fine, Plan C. You, me, shopping trip, my treat. All day long, girl. You cannot say no to that." Elisabeth grinned a little.

"Well, I was going to hang out with Henry today-"

"Great!" Tina interrupted, her eyes glowing a demon green with unmistakable glee. "Bring the boy! We can go shopping and he can carry everything!" Then she squealed. "And maybe I can bring Desperado and we can have a double date sort of deal! We can go see that amazing horror film too! OH MY GODS I'M BRILLIANT!"

Elisabeth groaned, praying to the gods that Clarisse didn't just hear her scream that. "One, Desperado is the Nymph boy right?"

"Oh no! He dumped me a long time ago!" Tina said with a snake like grin. "This one is human."

"Can't wait to see how he reacts to having a gorgon for a girlfriend."

"You missed it two nights ago honey." Tina said, grinning when the demigod's eyes widened. "He is actually pretty chill about it."

"Wow." Then Elisabeth heard the footsteps. "Shit. Tina-"

"On it!" Tina hurriedly put on her glasses and her viper snapback and headed to the small window in the far corner of of the locker room. "Meet you outside!" Then she slipped though the window and into the early morning city air.

Clarisse opened the door to the locker room, her spear in hand and ready to fight. "Elisabeth?"

"Over here!" Clarisse ran over to her, patting her shoulder.

"What happen?" She asked. She noticed that Elisabeth was laughing, just a little bit, which wasn't normal for her nowadays. She was usually always grumpy. "Was someone-"

"It was just a stupid punk." Elisabeth said, pointing to the window. "Came in through the window and tried to sneak a peak."Clarisse nodded.

"Another lesbian?"

"Yep."

"Ah." Clarisse lowered her spear and shook her head. "I really need to fix that damn window then. Can't keep having mortals trying to use this place as a drug hangout or something. Bad for business, you know."

Elisabeth nodded, grinning ear to ear. "Hey, I'm suppose to meet a friend outside. Do you need any help with the place before I leave?" Clarisse grinned, ruffling her hair with a decently callused hand.

"You eager tyke. Nah, get your ass in gear, Cupcake. You can't keep your friend waiting." Elisabeth nodded and ran out the door of the locker room like she was wearing a pare of Hermes' flying shoes and across the gym, jumping over, slid under, and barreled though challenges that Clarisse had set out for her while she was in the shower. Clarisse sniffed the air and crinkled her nose. "Gorgon..." Clarisse shook her head and groaned. "What the hell is she getting into now?"

Elisabeth came out of the gym unscathed, which is saying a lot since Clarisse thought it would be great to set a timer for a fire trap in the doorway that would lock her in there if she didn't get out in the time given. Fortunately, it only took her five seconds less than the timer to get there. 'Personal best accomplished.' She thought to herself as she took a deep breath of the smog filled air. 'This city never changes.'

"Yo Pinkypie!" Elisabeth looked up to see an old black 1967 Chevy Impala racing towards her, with the gorgon woman behind the wheel. She did a wheelie and parked right up against the curve, facing the the way she had come. "Get in loser, we are going shopping."

Elisabeth grinned and got into the passenger side seat, snuggling into the original fabric of the seats. "Call me Pinkypie again, I will chop off your head and keep it as a trophy in my fridge."

"Then don't wear pink around me again!" Tina laughed hysterically as she punched the gas and started speeding fast down the deserted street. Elisabeth put on her seatbelt and pulled out her phone. Nick had texted her at least five times during practice, and Henry had just texted her. She smiled a little at Henry's text and giggled. "Uh oh, I know that giggle." Tina said as she slowed down as they neared the Plutaina's apartment building. "What your boyfriend text you?"

"Where are you? I want to know. Are there any guys there? Are you busy?" Tina slowed to a stop in the very front of the building, rolling her eyes behind her glasses and looking right at the daughter of Aphrodite.

"You know who I mean." She said with a sly smile. "Henry, not Nicky." Elisabeth blushed a pretty shade a red when she said this.

"H-he-he isn't my boyfriend." Elisabeth said shyly. Tina couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh honey, you are so adorable! Let me guess, your even still a virgin." Her smile faded when she saw Elisabeth nodding. "Oh hell no! You never did the nasty?! Holy fucking shit girl!" Elisabeth looked out the window for a few seconds in embarrassment.

"Shut up."

"Well, as long as you don't do it with Poseidon in Athena's temple, we are all good." Tina joked, laughing cause that is what she did by total accident that wound her up in the situation she was in now. Elisabeth laughed a little too.

She looked down at her phone, and texted Nick first. 'With friends, going out for the day. ' Instantly he texted back.

'Who?' She sighed. If he knew she was with Tina and her boyfriend, much less Nick's own half brother, they would all be dead.

But she couldn't lie. She was surprised by his text. 'Ok, be home soon. Big day tomorrow.'

She was half tempted to text him back saying 'yes dad :P ', but that would piss him off. So she sent back a 'k' and switched to texting Henry. She smiled again at the text he had sent her.

'Hey, I know you are in practice, but if you need a lift back home,just text me. I will be right there.' She smiled and just imagined how Clarisse would react. He still hasn't told anyone he is the son of Hades, and he has refused to go to camp in case he is discovered. So Elisabeth has been teaching him everything when she gets a chance away from her boyfriend and his half brother.

'Hey, meet me outside the apartment. We are shopping today.'

His text came fast, and just as she looked down at it, she heard the door open to the apartment building's entrance. 'Start the engine.'

"Start the car!" Elisabeth urgently said. She knew what was coming next. Nick was going to freak out, she would have to deal with him, and this would all be 'her fault' in the end. Elisabeth opened the door to the back seat and Henry jumped in, slamming it behind him.

"Get this rust bucket moving! He's right behind me!" Henry shouted at Tina as he straitened himself out and buckled up.

Tina revved the engine and sped away from the apartment complex as a man with blond hair and muscular body came out of the doorway. Elisabeth sighed in sadness. This was gunna bite her in the ass later.

"Why the hell did you tell him?!" Tina demanded, her snakes hissing angrily under her hat."He's going to kill me!"

"Calm down! I save our butts!" Elisabeth countered.

"I agree." Henry said from the backseat, fumbling with his coat as he tried to put it on. "He was trying to understand what was going to happen when she sent me the text. I managed to get a head start."

"Fine. It was a good idea." Tina agreed. "Damn, we are all just so screwed up." She said, laughing a little. "A reluctant Son of Hades, a modest Aphrodite kid, and a harmless gorgon! The trio of Misfits!"

"I'll toast to that!" Henry said, taking three Cokes and a small bottle of Nectar out of his black voids he called pockets.

"Hope you brought another." Tina said as she raced down the quiet morning streets like a blur. "Cause we got one more joining the party."


	3. Chapter 3

Nico woke up slowly, those dark hazel eyes opening ever so slowly as his groggy mind slowly registering everything around him. The soft touch cotton sheets around his bare shoulders, the soft skin of his lover beside him as his hands wrapped around Nico's chest gently and protectively, the caress of morning light fluttering though the window, and the low hum of the coffee pot as it heated up the coffee in the other room. It was so peaceful, but there was something missing... But he couldn't place exactly what it was. Nico shifted a little, snuggling back into the pillow and closing his eyes.

Her felt Percy's arms hold him just a little closer, a low mmmmmm sound fluttering out of those soft lips. The son of Poseidon's breath cascaded down Nico's neck, causing him to shiver. Then Nico heard the chuckle. "Good morning, Ghost King." Percy whispered into his ear gently and he kissed the nape of his lover's neck.

"No, Percy." Nico moaned, not wanting to wake up just yet. "I want to sleep..."

Percy chuckled lightly as he kissed the pale marble skin again, nipping just a little bit. "You can sleep later." He whispered in his ear sweetly. "We have the place to ourselves... All day, without Elisabeth to barge in."

Nico stiffened suddenly. "What?"

Percy kissed his way up Nico's neck and nibbled on his ear a little, whispering his words drowsily and lovingly. "She left early this morning for training." Nico felt Percy's hand play with the elastic band of his boxers, and the son of Hades shuddered a little but. "And she said she was going out with some friends... So we are all alone." Percy bite on the soft skin behind Nico's ear, making him yip in surprise. "You are all mine."

Nico, now waking up to his full conches mind, moaned lowly as Percy's hands slowly moved his hands over the fabric of Nico's boxers. "P-P-Percy..." Percy chuckled as he turned his shadow lover around to face him. Nico was blushing a cute shade of rose pink.

"Nico Di Angelo... I.." Percy leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, pulling Nico closer. They kissed slowly, that cute kind of kiss that you give when you truly love someone, then they deepened into the lustful throws of passion, making out and fighting each other for dominance as they rolled in there queen size bed. Nico ended up losing, pined under the older demigod man as their tongues danced in each others mouths and Percy's hands wandered over Nico's skin.

Nico clung to Percy's neck, his hands weaving into his hair as he felt Percy slip off his boxes, exposing him to the morning light and colder air. Nico moaned a little as he felt a burning in the pit of his stomach, and Percy kisses his neck and bit his shoulders over and over.

"Shhh" Percy said slowly as he gently rubbed Nico's bare thigh, the sheets blocking any view the nosy people in the flats across form them would look down on. "Just relax. Your so tense."

"W-we-well, wouldn't you be?" Nico stuttered, his arousal making him blush crazily and look away from Percy. "W-we-we're going t-to need to packs so-soon... Aaaaahhhhhh..." Nico purred as he felt Percy's smooth hands roll over his body like gentle crashing waves. It was Nico's one weakness, fallowed by Elisabeth. Percy was his one true weakness, though.

"We can deal with the packing later." Percy growled playfully as he slowly planted kiss down his neck and over his collarbone and drifting lower and lower under the covers. "But for now... Lets just enjoy this moment."

"So," Tina asked as they waited in traffic, her boyfriend lived just across the street from the mall they were going to, and of course they got stuck in early morning traffic. Tina, as always, tried to make conversation cause the radio only talked about crap. "what you think your dads are doing, Lis?"

Elisabeth shrugged. "Probably making love. Again. They seem only to do that when Im not around."

Henry nodded, sipping his Coke and Nectar cocktail savoringly. "I can understand that. Your their little girl, they don't want you to think they are gross."

"Oh please." The daughter of Aphrodite scoffed as she bit into a power bar she had in her bag. "I have walked into a lot of rooms with a lot of scenarios happening. And that was one of them. I'm used to it."

"Ever walk into a room where a gorgon and a god had sex?" Tina asked, genuinely curious. Elisabeth and Henry looked at each other quizzically.

"No... Not to my knowledge."

"We'll, never trust Poseidon."

"Here we go." Henry groaned as Tina launched into her story about her love affair with Poseidon and how he tricked her into a Athena temple and she turned her into a gorgon.

"But instead of being one of the primitive ones like Medusa, I had class and sophistication." Tina finished after about a half an hour of yammering on about it. "And for the last 300 years, I have been watching the world grow. Not petty anger and killing, that's a horrible way of using your time. Am I right, Lis?" Elisabeth had asleep in the passenger seat. Henry, on the other hand, was wide awake and listening. he always loved the story. Tina frowned. "Well, that was rude of her."

Henry looked and saw she was asleep, smiling a little. "She needs her rest. She hasn't been sleeping well lately." He said softly as his eyes glowed with their loving reddish brown sparkle. Tina arched an eyebrow and looked at him.

"And how would you know?" She asked, a playful smile on her face. Henry blushed a crimson color that matched the tips of his natural beach blond hair. "Been spying on her again have we?"

"I don't spy." Henry muttered, leaning back against the empty back seats, his eyes not leaving Elisabeth's peaceful face. "I go to the garden when I can't sleep."

"Which is always." Tina noted, flipping off a man as he made kissy faces at her like she wouldn't notice. "Insomnia is not unnatural for people in your case, but it is weird that you can shadow travel so easily without have it tax you out." Henry looked away from Elisabeth and looked Tina in the eyes, not literally cause she had her glasses on, his eyes pleading with her not to talk about it.

"I know... But anyway, she's up there when I'm there so... I really don't want to worry her."

"So you stay in the shadows and watch like a creaper." Tina smirked a little and smiled to herself. "And when she isn't in the garden?"

"She is in her room pacing around like she is thinking of something." He stated, groaning when he realized that she had tricked him. Her grin widened even more as she started laughing. "Oh shut up."

"Dude! You got hit with the arrow hard!" She said as she caught her breath, the car moving forward just a little more as they made their way through the traffic. "When you going to confess?"

"The twelfth of never going to happen." He replied sourly. He looked out the window at the unmoving scenery. The buildings were towering over them like giant titans now, the glass reflecting the sunlight onto the ground below as the people behind them worked in their cubical or something. "She has Nick. They are a good match."

"Not really." The gorgon stated dryly as she finally got a opening and exited the traffic into a clear side street that was a strait shot to the mall. "They are not in any way, shape, or form a good match." She said as she speeded down the deserted ally like a comet on nitrous. Henry leaned back, letting the smoggy air rush in through the window and hit him in the face, wincing when the smell hit him in the nose."Twilight was a better love story than these two. And that is saying something." She pulled into the parking lot of the mall, getting the farthest parking spot so that they had time to talk a little more, and for her to mess with her snakes as she took off the hat to let them breath a little, hissing happily when she did.

"Well...He is thinking about proposing soon." Henry said quietly, hoping she wasn't going to hear him. But Tina did, and her reaction wasn't pretty, not one bit.

"WHAT?!" She screamed, the snakes under writhing and hissing in anger as they threatened to bite him and anything they could get their fangs on. "WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO FUCKING TELL ME?!" The son of Hades flinched out of reflex when she screamed at him, looking at Elisabeth to make sure she hadn't woken up. Thankfully, she hadn't. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN!?"

Henry sighed sadly. "He told me a week ago. And he said that if I do something to keep the wedding from happening, I would find myself in the darkest place he can find and beat me to a pulp. Again."

Tina screeched in anger as she slammed her fist on the steering wheel, almost breaking it in half. "I will not allow this!"

"How can we stop it then? He was going to do it at camp where you and me can't stop him." Henry said in a defeated tone, his shoulders slumping. Then he looked up at the gorgon and went still. She was grinning evilly at him, her eyes glowing behind the black glasses with a gleam of mischief. "What?"

"You can get into camp though." She stated slyly. "And you are her friend, right?" He nodded slowly, not liking the way this gorgon woman was looking at him like he was a piece of meat. "Then it is simple, you pull a Hades."

"A what?" He asked slowly, regretting the words as they left his lips. She rolled her eyes as she placed her hat back over her calmed hair of snakes.

"You know the story of Persephone?"

"Yeah." He slowly answered, not liking where she was going with this. She opened the door and slipped into the back with him and held his hands in her dainty, red nailed ones, her smile as venomous as her snakes were. He did not like this look on her, but he was already backed into a corner, so he couldn't escape her.

"Well, then here is what you have to do."


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey! Wake up, sleeping beauty!"

Elisabeth groaned groggily as her eyes slowly opened and was greeted with burning bright sunlight. Tina was next to her, the door open on the passenger side letting the noise of the busy mall parking lot wash into the car. Elisabeth groaned as she squinted at her friend and rolled on her side. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes, rudely enough." Tina said, a weird smile on her face that gave Elisabeth the chills. "Henry didn't want to wake you up until we got here, much to my lack of amusement."

Elisabeth giggled a little. "You try pulling out the fog horn app and blaring it in my ear?"

"I was so tempted to!" Tina gushed as she helped Elisabeth out of the car. "Now come on! The boys are already waiting for us! And we still have about, oh, a whole day to shop till we drop!" Elisabeth laughed gleefully as they walked arm in arm through the parking lot.

"So, what I miss when I was asleep?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh same old, same old." Tina said in a bored tone. "Your little boyfriend did not speak a word the rest of the time! I had to threaten to turn him to stone to get him to spill a little dirt." Elisabeth arched an eyebrow.

"What kind of 'dirt'?" Tina grinned wider and zipped her lip.

"I made a promise not to tell." Elisabeth groaned, hating when she did that. "Besides, we got a little something better to think a out! What outfit you will wear on your first day back! Something dark, black, and so very you! We can even get our nails done and everything! Ooohhhhh! We should try some of that new restaurants food too! What's that place called?"

"You mean the Burger Fling owned by the monsters?"

Tina shook her head. "Mythological Americans, honey, not monsters. Remember, the only small minded person is the racist person." Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "And no, it is not this Burger Fling you speak of. I mean..." Tina thinks for a moment as they step up onto the curb of the sidewalk, thinking of the best way to describe the place she was talking about. "That place with the singing waiters."

"Oh! You mean the Stardust Diner!" Elisabeth said, a bright smile on her face. "Yeah! But isn't that place expensive?"

"Ppppffff!" Tina bopped her finger on the demigod's nose as she unhooked their arms and opened the door into the shopping wall. She had a sly, serpentine smile on her face as she winked at Elisabeth. "That's why we brought the boys with us!"

Elisabeth walked through the open door, laughing cheerfully and truthfully for the first time in weeks, Tina fallowed behind her tapping her cane on the ground to act out being blind. Henry was waiting with a tall African American man around the age of twenty one or twenty two, just talking as if they had known each other a long time. This mystery man was decked out in a puffy white shirt that looked like something out of a pirate movie, a black belt wrapped around his waist, light blue jeans that were worn out all over, and brown Timberland work boots, his dark chocolate skin tone making him stand out against all the lightness of his cloths. He shook his head at Henry, the rows and rows of dreadlocks with feathers and beads woven into some of them swishing side to side. As Elisabeth got closer, she arched an eyebrow.

"You need to take a stand, my friend." The man said in a thick Jamaican accent, a smile on his face and in his words. "You may end up loosing everything if not."

"But Desperado-"

"Please." He said, putting his hand on Henry's shoulder. "Call me Toby. Desperado is my last name."

"Oh Desperado!" Tina called out sweetly, a teasing tone to her voice, making her way past Elisabeth without knocking her over.

Tony smiled wider than he was originally, his white teeth seemed to glow whiter against his dark chocolate skin. Henry looked over as well, catching Elisabeth's amber gaze. The daughter of Aphrodite felt her breath catch in her throat, her cheeks redden into an in conches blush, but she dared not look away from those dirty blood brown eyes. He smiled a little, and she caught the flicker of joy that swam in his gaze, untainted and true. Their locked gaze was broken when Tina pushed past Elisabeth and started to run to her mortal boyfriend.

Toby patted Henry's shoulder, winking at him a little. "Best to keep those hope up, Henry. Because from what I see, you have a chance." Toby whispered, turning and running to meet her halfway. And when they did, the mortal scooping the gorgon into his embrace, picking her up and spinning her around like something you see in a fairy tale. Her gleeful laughter and his amused chuckles echoed throughout the building like ringing bells though a crowded church. People stopped and stared at the two of them, Toby not giving a care as he slowly stopped spinning and pulled Tina in closer to him. He leaned down, his hands pressed to her back lightly and securely, and kissed her passionately on the lips. The uninvited onlookers watched with negative emotion, mostly disgust, as they turned and walked away. But, they did get some 'Awww's and whoops from a group of goths and outcasts as they passed by on their way to Hot Topic.

Elisabeth stood beside Henry, smiling a little as a warm fuzzy feeling filled her inside. "Im glad she happy now." Elisabeth said, her eyes watching her gorgon friend except the kiss and deepen it into something more. Henry nodded.

"She deserves a little happiness." He said softly. She didn't notice his eyes weren't on the couple, completely blind to the fact that he was looking at her instead. A small smile played on his lips, his eyes gleaming with a loving warmth only reserved for her, but beneath that layer was a sliver of sadness. "After all, the other guy she dated was a jerk."

"You said it." Elisabeth agreed, turning her hear to look at him, a big smile on her face. He quickly put up his mask of friendliness, plastering a smile on his face. He thought that she never saw through the fake mask, but in truth, she did. She just never said anything. She turned back to the two lovebirds and whistled at had been at least five minutes since they started making out, and Elisabeth was starting to get uncomfortable, think of how she wished Nick would be like that. 'No, get him out of your head. Now.' She thought to herself. "Come on guys, you have all day to make out. Let's just shop."

Toby reluctantly broke the kiss and whispered something into the gorgon's ear that made her giggle and blush. Henry noticed Elisabeth look away from them, turning on her heals and heading into the crowded mall to the first store they could come across. Toby noticed too, letting go of Tina and taking her hand in his. Tina, still blushing red from the kiss and the words, looked at Henry curiously.

"What up with her?"

"If I am not mistaken," Toby said before the son of Hades could answer. "I would say she is rather upset over our little scene."

Henry nodded. Tina groaned a little, muttering under her breath as she started after the goddess of love's demigod daughter. But, as Toby tried to fallow her, Henry stopped him.

"Hey, I need to get your opinion on something." Toby arched an eyebrow, but walked slowly with Henry to the Hollister store that Elisabeth had ducked into was. "It's about this plan Tina thinks I should try."

"I'm all ears."

After about four hours of shopping, the four decided it was time for a lunch break. All of them made their way to the car, the girls laughing and talking about what goes with what outfit, and the men carrying all the bags to the car. Most of the bags were Tina's cloths, and only two were Elisabeth's. Henry looked at Toby from behind the bags, and Toby giving him a slight nod of his head. Tina looked back with a big grin.

"Hurry up you slow pokes!" She called, arm and arm with Elisabeth, and popped open the trunk of the car. "We got a long drive if we are going to park my car at my place and walk to the Stardust Diner!"

"Stardust Diner?" Henry said as he placed the bags in the back. "Isn't that place a little expensive?"

"A little? No. A lot? Yes." Toby said as he unloaded the bags into the trunk of the car. "But, I will pay. Do not fret."

"And then we can go back to my place and have a nice smoke and some hot coco with peppermint sticks!" Tina finished, clapping her hands as she got into the driver's seat. "Elisabeth, dear, sit in the back with Henry. I think Toby would be made at me if he didn't get front seat."

Toby laughed heartily. "You do not know what I can get mad at, my love." He said as he got into the front passenger seat.

Elisabeth and Henry got into the back, closing the doors behind them and almost bumping each other's hand as the buckled up. Both them blushed, Elisabeth looking up at him hoping he wouldn't notice her rosy red cheeks. Henry smiled sheepishly, and the smile spread to her and she laughed a little. Toby looked at Tina and they both smiled as they backed up and swerved into oncoming traffic.

After a half an hour or so of listening to music in traffic, Tina and Toby started gabbing about how he caught her in the shower with her glasses off and her snakes uncovered and how he thought she was the most amazing person. "But how did you live when you looked her in the eyes?" Elisabeth asked.

"Easily. Seems that since I have contacts, I lived." Toby said jokingly. Henry rolled his eyes.

"Lier. What happen?"

"I closed my eyes when I heard him starting to come in." Tina confessed, smiling a little. "He screamed like a little girl."

"Did not!" Toby shot back.

"Did too!"

"Did not times infinity!"

"Did too times infinity squared!"

"Guys!" Henry said, a tone of annoyance in his voice.

"What?" Tina asked.

"You missed your turn." He said pointing to the turn she drove by.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Tina shouted as she took the next turn she could.

It took another ten minutes to get to the apartment building. It was close to the heart of New York City, you could hear the crowed murmurs from the tourists and busy men and woman as they walked their routes to a work or to the next tourist attraction or the next store. Her apartment was on the top floor, closest to the sky, and a lovely view of the city in between the taller buildings that threatened to rip open the sky. It was an expensive place, like something Tony Stark would be proud of. It was filled with odds and ends, ancient treasures that were originals that she had owned in her past lives she led and newer things from this life. From Ancient Greek statues to original works of art by Charles Darwin, she lined her walls and halls with them. She also owned the newest items, such as a platinum lined jumbo screen TV in the living room, a bathroom the size of three normal apartments combined, a hot tub and swimming pool with a view of the sky, and surround sound speaker system.

She also loved to change up the feel of the place. One day, she would be playing heavy mettle and the whole place would look like some dark castle of fear, the next it would be a serene sanctuary of light and meta music. She never did the same thing twice in one week. Today was theme of Fantasy, the room filled with elvish songs from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, her decorations making it seem otherworldly, and small crystals hung all around the place shining like fairy folk when the lights shined in.

"Welcome to my pad, ladies and gents." She said as she opened the doors and proceeded in taking off her hat. The snakes hissed with glee as they basked in the sunlight of the window filled room, soaking in the sunlight. "I thing we are going to just hang out here today, what do you think?"

Toby shrugged, setting down the bags in the closest down spot and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I think that is a lovely idea."

Elisabeth chuckled, smiling a little while the feeling of jealousy threatened to boil over in her stomach. "I'm game for that. What you say, Henry?" She looked behind her to her demigod companion, her smile growing when she saw the look on his face. "Oh yeah, you never been in Serpentina's apartment before!"

Henry looked around in aw, his eyes flowing through the room like that of a child's at a museum. He took it all in, gasping at every detail. "This is amazing." He breathed, looking back at Elisabeth with huge eyes. "How... How did she get all this?"

"Lets just say," The gorgon said cheerfully as she teasingly broke out of her lover's embrace and sprawled on the couch. "I used to be a lot of things back in the day."

Toby fallowed her, kneeling beside her like her Prince Charming. He took her hand in his and stroking a lock of snake out if her face. The snakes didn't bite him at all, due to Tina's perfect control over them after years of practice. " And still you look as beautiful as the sun and moon and stars." He said in a loving tone. She smiled and kissed him tenderly.

Elisabeth groaned and plopped on the other couch. "You are such gooshy romantics!" She said in a exasperated tone. "Save the kissing for the bedroom!"

"As well as other things." Tina said jokingly, laughing when Elisabeth's face scrunched up in disgust. "Oh darling, you are too pure for your own good! Live a little!"

"No thanks." The demigod woman said with a smile. "I prefer to wait till my Knight in darkened armor comes and sweeps me off my feet."

"Amen, sister." Tina said as Toby slipped onto the couch and wrapped his arms around her.

Henry sat next to his fellow demigod, looking her dead in the eyes with a shy smile on his face. "And your doing an amazing job of waiting."

Elisabeth smiled brightly. "Thanks, Henry."

"No problem."

"So," Toby started, looking at Elisabeth with curiosity. "you finally going to dump Nick?" Henry arched an eyebrow.

"Maybe." Elisabeth said timidly, leaning back against the back of the couch as she twiddled her thumbs. " But how is the question."

"We will think of a way!" Tina said excitedly. "After we watch a few great fairy tales and Disney movies!"

Everyone agreed, and turned on Disney's 'The Princess and the Frog'. Henry grinned wider as he snuck away to the kitchen, claiming to want to make some popcorn and grab a drink. This was perfect! Knowing that she was going to break up with his step-brother was the push he needed to get on board with the gorgon's plan. The question is, how? That was the tricky part, and he would need a little help. But then another question formed in his mind. 'What will she think of me if this all goes as planned?'

After a hours and hours of Disney movies and fairy tales, the sun started to set on the city that never sleeps. Elisabeth looked out the endless wall of glass and noticed the sherbet colored sunset, smiling a little and looking at Henry. They were alone in the living room now, Toby stealing Tina away to the bedroom for some much needed 'alone time' while the two demigods watched 'The Lion King'. It had just come up to the song Can You Feel The Love Tonight, which was actually pretty accurate for the situation at hand. Henry was also looking out of the windows, his eyes showing a sad ghost writhing within the blood colored eyes. Her smile slipped a little and touched his hand comfortingly. He snapped out of his trance and looked at her, blushing a little.

"You want to get out of here?" She asked, her eyes filled with concern. She hadn't known she was so close to him, but he did. His face blushed a darker red as he looked away.

"Y-y-yeah." He stammered, his eyes trying to focus on anything other than Elisabeth's lips and her amber eyes staring at him with that cute worried look she always had for him. "Let's get you home. It's almost curfew for you, right?"

"No." Elisabeth said smiling. "I got it bumped up to nine, so we got time. Hey, I know!" She said, her hands holding his like an exited child would. "Lets go get McDonalds and get some burgers. I'm craving a Big Mack, how bout you?"

He looked at their hands, and smiled a little. "Yeah. Yeah sure, I'm up for some McD's."

Elisabeth got up and pulled him to his feet, a big smile on her face. "Can we shadow travel? Please, please, please?" Henry laughed, just enjoying her exited reaction to his gift.

"All right, all right. But you need to hold onto me if we do." She nodded and took his hand in hers. He smiled. "Know, close your eyes. This might get scary." She did so, and he smiled a little at how trusting she was. She always was just too trusting of him...

Then, within a single second, the darkness swallowed them whole.


	5. Chapter 5

Henry layed on the plastic grass on the top of the building, the moonlight sky the clearest it has been all spring. He had just dropped off Elisabeth's doorstep, and he retreated to the top of her apartment to hide out in her sanctuary. He could hear the screams from the house, the angry 'where were you's and 'it's ten at night's and 'we were worried's, as Nico and Percy reprimanded her for the accidental slip of time. It was his fault she was late. They decided to walk home instead of shadow travel because he was scared for her. He didn't want her to end up hurt, she looked sickly when they came out around the side of the McDonalds, and he didn't want to test to see if it was just cause it was her first time. She told him to go home, that she would handle her fathers, but that was a lie. She was going to need a shoulder soon. He knew she would come up here after she was yelled at, she always did.

So he waited patiently up on the rooftop, a bag in his hand from Hot Topic and laying in the fake grass looking up at the stars. An hour passed by after the shouting stopped, but he just looked up at the stars. Something was different, she was doing something. Maybe her dads were apologizing, or she decided to cry in her bed? Then, he heard her coming up the stairs, soft sobs coming from just bellow the small wall that she would have to jump over to get here. He hated when she cried. "You ok, Elisabeth?" He said softly, getting up and helping her over the brunt bricks carefully. She pulled him closer and clung to him, her face hidden in the shoulder of his soft trench coat. He could feel her body trembling against him, and the tears soaking through the fabric. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, and held her to him gently. "Shhhh. It's all going to be ok. It's all ok." He said soothingly as he rubbed her back, just like... Someone did when he was younger. "You're safe. You're with me. You're safe."

She hiccuped a little, and looked up at him like a frightened kid. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked in the moonlight, even though she was crying. " I-I-I'm a mess up, aren't I?" The question took him by surprise, and he shook his head no. "B-b-but I-"

He put a finger over her lips and lead her to their spot in the middle of the rooftop garden. "Now, stop that!" He said, trying to make her cheerful. He sat down and pulled her into his lap, holding her gently against him. "Whoever told you that is a jack ass who needs a good whooping."

She smiled a light, chuckling out of habit. He always made her do that, made her feel better. "Sorry. I-I just got..." She trailed off, her eyes looking away as she leaned into his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. "Nick told me I was stupid when I tried to talk to him about today..."

"Well," Henry said kindly, petting her hair gently. "he is the stupid one. And for calling you stupid, I will have him plagued by nightmares and have skeletons have dub step dance parties outside his cabin so no one can sleep. Isn't that what Nico did with Percy once when they went to camp?"

Elisabeth couldn't help but laugh. Her tears were drying, and her eyes were sparkling like the moon and stars above them. "Yeah!" Then she yawned. He smiled a little and rocked gently back and forth with her, her eyes closing slowly as sleep breached the threshold of her mind. "Henry?"

"Hm?"

"Can you sing to me? Like my real dad used to when I cried at night?"

He chuckled lightly, smiling at her as her eyes begun to fog with sleep. "I can try. You know how bad I am at singing."

"Yeah..." She smiled a little. "But you still have a nice voice."

"Damn strait, Liz. Damn strait." And as she drifted into sleep, she faintly heard his soft, rich singing voice as he sang a lullaby.

"Close your eyes,

my dear little girl...

I know this world

Is as cold as it is troubled.

But watch the sky

As the dusk turns to twilight.

You'll see the stars

As they begin shine so bright.

And as the sea

Of blue and indigo sweep

The sky's above are submersed in so deep.

Rock back and forth,

you'll hear the stars whisper and sing

As the wind carries their voices to thee...

Sleep with dreams,

Dreams that will become real.

And let your mind travel away from this hell... "

Her laced her sleeping body on the grass, draping his jacket over her gently to brace against the cool summer night air. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead gently and whispered in her ear. "Good night, Elisabeth." And disappeared into the darkness.

Nick was waiting for his half-brother in the living room, playing his guitar slowly as he found the words to sing about. He looked at his phone, the messages to his girlfriend still glowing on the screen.

'Hey, how was your day?'

"lonely. Why didn't you take me with you shopping?'

'It was last minute and not my idea. I couldn't.'

'Are you cheating on me with Henry?'

'No.'

'You are lying.'

'I am not! I'm telling the truth!'

'You are a stupid piece of shit if you think I will believe that.'

She hadn't replied yet, she probably wasn't going to. Nick was going to have to teach her a lesson, probably at camp while no one was looking. She was so damn stupid sometimes, going out with a brother who he didn't even know existed till four years ago and not expecting him to think she was cheating on him. She was so stupid... His stupid Aphrodite girl... His stupid Aphrodite girl he loved so much...

The door opened to the front, Henry slipping in without his trench coat on and his eyes darting everywhere to make sure he could get to his room fast enough. Nick struck a cord on the guitar which sent shivers down Henry's spine. "Out a little later than usual, are you not?" Nick called lowly, his voice filled with a calm rage. "What were you doing?"

Henry froze, slowly turning towards him. "I-I-I was just... You know, out wandering..." Nick got up and pulled a small little keychain hammer out of his pocket, pressing a button and it grew into a war hammer of Celestial Bronze within seconds. Nick held it in his hands, looking right at Henry, who was paling with fear. Nick loved that look on his face, and it made him grin wider.

"Wandering? How uneventful." He cooed, as he twirled the hammer in his hands. "Was it with Elisabeth, by chance?"

Henry nodded slowly. Nick grinned a little. He loved how he never lied to him, how he knew that if he did he would brutally beat him like he did the first time. "I walked her home from Tina's... Then I wandered for a little while"

"Well, that was gentlemanly of you." Nick said in a bored tone, twirling the hammer in his hands. "Did she say anything about me?"

"Earlier she mentioned how much she wanted to take you shopping." Henry said, staring at the hammer like it was a gun being pointed at him and Nick's hand was on the trigger.

" Ah... Good." Nick tapped the hammer lightly and it turned back into the keychain, which he then slipped into his pocket. " Thanks for the chat, Henry. You can go." And with that, the stepbrother was gone, and he slipped into his room faster than a field mouse into it's hole.

Nick stayed in the living room, picking up his guitar. He was going to have to apologize to his girlfriend for the accusation tomorrow. "She probably cried her eyes out..." He muttered to himself, as he started to put the apology to song.

When Elisabeth woke up the next morning, she looked around quizzically. She was still on the rooftop, and the sun had not even begun to rise yet. 'Did I fall asleep up here?' She wondered groggily, sitting up slowly so not to get dizzy and fall back. Even with the fake grass, she learned the hard way that it was still going to hurt if she fell on this. Looking down, she realized that something was on top of her, like a blanket, but it was too dark to tell. Then she smelled the familiar sent of fresh earth and old paper, and she knew what it was. Henry's trench coat.

She smiled a little and laid back down, curling into the coat a little more. She breathed in that perfect mixture a little more, blushing just a little when she realized what she was doing. "I don't.. I can't love him." She sighed sadly, looking up at the cloudy sky with confusion. "I can't..." She rolled over, this time hearing a crumple of a plastic bag.

Sitting up, her amber eyes now accustomed to the darkness, she noticed the Hot Topic bag that was tied closed. Opening it slowly, she grinned wider and pulled the one item of the bag out. It was the shirt she wanted to buy, the oversized Blood On The Dance Flood tee shirt, but didn't want to bug Tina for cause she felt her fathers wouldn't let her have it. "You sneaky bitch... " She laughed, smiling like a child on their birthday. She had only told Henry what she wanted, and the guy went and got it for her.

She grinned as she stood up, slipping his jacket over her and the bag into one of the oversized pockets. It was huge in the length, draping over the ground like a lily pad behind her, but it was perfect in the sleeves. Jumping over the wall and grabbing hold of the ladder, she slid down to her window and slipped silently into her room. She was going to have to modify the shirt a little if she was going to wear it before she left when her fathers woke up.

She looked over at the clock on her dresser, smirking a little. 3:48 AM. She had all the time she needed.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ok, remind me why we let her out of the house in that?" Nico said in an annoyed tone as he drove the Prius through New York, stopping periodically because of traffic and other annoying people who don't know how to use a damn crosswalk. He looked back in his review mirror at the little adult teenager that was listening to music and texting god knows who on her IPhone in the backseat with one hand and wrote in her current journal with the other, his dark hazel eyes looking a little disapproving at her choice in outfit.

Elisabeth had modified the shirt that Henry had left for her. She had cut off the sleeves and the collar so it was more comfortable for her, then she had cut slits into both sides of the shirt and then cut up the seems so that she could tie them up her side so that it form fitted to her body. And because it was so big, it was more like a dress on her than a shirt. So she wore torn up black legging with the neon pain splatters on them, her knee high Doc Martins, blue and green eyeshadow and black eyeliner and mascara, and she tied her hair into a halo braid around her head that ended with blue and black tips. Yes, blue and black tips. She used some of the hair die that Nico thought he had hidden pretty well and died just a third of an inch of her hair. Fortunately, she agreed that she would get that trimmed off in a week. The only reason Nico had let her out of the house looking like that was because she had given him the puppy dog eyes and had worn a neon pink tank top underneath the shirt. She also reluctantly promised to wear her new pink V-neck he had bought for her, the one with the bows not the Nike symbol on the back or the skulls all over it. She caught his eye and smiled brightly up at him, like she wanted to laugh but knew it was better just to let him rant a little more.

Percy smiled, his oceanic eyes gleaming with enjoyment and a little mischief. "Because deep down, you know she is only wearing this for her secret boyfriend?" This made Elisabeth's face turn red as a strawberry, making Nico chuckle a little. And not one of those 'oh you' cutesy chuckles that a guy gets when he says something nice to his crush and she brushes him off and keeps him in the friend zone. This was a sadistic chuckle, one Percy knew way too well from their past. "Oh shit, what have I done." Percy breathed as Nico stopped at a red light.

"So, DID Henry give you that shirt? " Nico asked, his smile sending chills down Elisabeth's spine. "Or did you buy it?"

"Uuuuhhhh..." Elisabeth shot Percy a glare as she tried to find a excuse. Finally, she sighed and stuck with the truth. "Henry gave it to me as a goodbye present..." She said sadly, looking down at the journal with sorrowful amber eyes. Nico saw this look and his grin faltered.

"Oh... I'm sorry... I didn't know it would be a soar subject still..." Nico said, lying through his teeth at this point. He had forgotten how bad the separation was between his little daughter of Aphrodite and her best friend. First time it happened, she had camped out in the lavender grove for a whole week till Alex had to convince her to get over it and that summer would fly by faster if she didn't mope around. It had gotten worse every time after.

"Yeah..." Elisabeth said distantly, looking out the window of the car at the people walking on the side walk or selling something as strange as palm trees at a little booth they had set up. "Neither did I."

Nico sighed in annoyance as the light turned green and he sped across the intersection before any of the stupid pedestrians decided to jump off the sidewalk cause they were too self absorbed in what they were doing or because they needed to get to where they were gong in a hurry. After about ten minutes of Nico's brooding and the silence, Percy nudged his lover's arm gently. Nico looked to where Percy was looking and forced a pleasant smile.

"I know what will cheer you up." Nico said proudly, his foul mood being pushed aside for this small little surprise. "And you better like it, cause I'm not putting up with you sad little mmmeeeeehhhhh act the rest of the ride there."

Elisabeth parked up a little, arching her eyebrow a little as she tried to figure out what the hell he was talking about. Then she saw the familiar sign of the woman with two tails. "Really dad? Starbucks? Really?"

"Isn't that what all the white girl's are drinking nowadays?" Nico asked jokingly. "Or do you want skip it this time?"He laughed when he looked at the horrified look on her face in the review mirror.

"NEVER!" She screamed. "You get this car in a parking space and Im getting a Crème!"

Percy laughed a little more. "See, she's a white girl!" That earned him a smack in the head. "Ow!"

"Offensive, Percy." Nico said, pulling into a parking space. "I did it as a joke." Percy just chuckled and kissed Nico's cheek, making him blush and stutter. "I'm not forgiving you that easy Percy!"

"Yeah, you will." Elisabeth teased from the back seat, getting out and running inside before Nico could snap her neck with his words. She laughed, looking behind her at her father's kissing in the car a little before starting to get out. Her heart ached a little in jealously, but she quickly pushed it down before it got out of hand. But not before she fell backwards from running into someone. "Ow! I am so sorry!" She looked up at the person, blushing in embarrassment. "I should have been looking where I was going!"

The blond man chuckled a little, offering her a hand up. He was dressed in casual wear, work jeans, a dusty purple shirt, and some running shoes on, and he looked to be about Percy's age, maybe a little older. And defiantly a little taller than Percy, too. But what really caught her interest was the logo on the purple shirt. It looked a little familiar to her. "It's cool, Miss. I didn't even notice." He said with a smile.

She smiled back and offered her hand. "I'm Elisabeth, Elisabeth Walker... Or Jackson... Or Di Angelo. Any of the three work." His eyebrows shot up at the mention of both her fathers' last names and she knew instantly she had just run into someone from their pasts. "And you?"

"Jason... Jason Grace." He saw her eyes widen and he smiled a little. "So, are you Percy or Nico's kid?"

"Both, actually." Elisabeth spun around and grinned wider when she saw her dads walk in, Percy with his smug grin and Nico with his faked scowl. "We adopted." Percy said proudly, going right up to Jason and hugging him with the most manliness you can get out of a hug. "Glad to see you, Superman."

"Good to see you too, Seaweed Brain." Jason said jokingly, hugging him back. When he let go, he grinned at Nico and wiggled his eyebrows. "So, no sugar for me, Ghost Boy?"

"Don't make me kill you and bring you back again, Jason." Nico said in his usual annoyed tone. "Not in the mood." Elisabeth shrugged and left the three to take a trip down memory lane, stealing Jason's spot in the line to get her order in. It didn't stop her from listening in to the conversation though. "So, how has the Son of Jupiter been since we last parted?" Nico said, bitter tone in his voice.

"I am actually doing pretty well. Piper and I just had our first kid a few years back. He is turning 4 now." Jason replied joyfully.

"Congrats!" Percy said, patting his back. "Man, it has been too long since the old gangs have been together in one room! We are all loosing touch."

"And I see I'm missing a huge chunk in your lives too, half-bros!" Jason countered, still wiggling his eyebrows at Nico. "When did you two become a thing?"

"Four years ago in two weeks." Percy said proudly. "And in a moth after that, we would have had adopted our Elisabeth." Jason stopped wiggling his eyebrows and stared at Percy.

"Wowowow. Wait a sec. You hooked up, and a month after you adopted a kid... What the hell?" Nico groaned, putting a hand over Percy's mouth.

"She was the one who got us to come out of the closet in the first place. She's a demigod too, Blonde." Nico said in a rather annoyed tone. Jason made a little charade of getting stabbed in the heart.

"You wound me, Nico!" He said in a joking tone, ruffling Nico's hair. "Besides, I kept your secret for so long, I would have thought you would tell me if your dream came true!"

Percy tried to talk, butt Nico clamped his hand harder over his mouth. "Slipped my mind." He grumbled, looking away.

"Or your mind just got fucked up." Jason teased, earning a huge blush from Nico as he started to sputter and threatened to explode.

"Why you- EWW! PERCY! WHAT THE HELL!?" Elisabeth turned around and laughed as Nico started to rub his hand on his pants. Percy must have started to make out with Nico's hand again to get him to take it off. It was the most effective way, Elisabeth had observed.

"So, you going to explain the 'kept your secret' bit, or am I going to have to interrogate you for it?"Percy asked slyly, wrapping an arm around Nico's shoulders. Elisabeth saw the look Nico was giving and decided it was time for her to intervene.

"Thanks sir!" she says to the guy behind the counter who handed her her drinks. He smiled back dreamily at her, too struck by her Aphrodite charm to speak. "Here's the tip." She whispered, giving him a five, and walked away, right up to Jason, Nico, and Percy. "All right! We got the usual for dad 1, dad 2, and three extra shots of nectar for me! Sorry, Mr. Grace, I didn't order for you."

Jason smiled at her, thanking her for the save as she passed out the coffees. "No sweat. I can wait for my own."

"So, why you out here?" Elisabeth asked. "Don't you work for some other camp?"

"I switch off between the two a few years at a time. This year, Im going to Camp HalfBlood." Jason said proudly.

Percy and Nico both grinned. "Perfect!"

Elisabeth groaned, pulling Jason away from them. "You just signed your death warrant."

"How?"

"They dump all the heavy work on the new guy."

"Oh."


	7. Chapter 7

"Shit, you were not kidding!"

"Told you that they would pull this."

"Remind me never to doubt you next time, Liz."

It's been a few days since camp had started up, and everything was in full swing. The games and training sessions were moving smoothly, the cabins were introducing the new recruits to everyone like a kind of orientation, and Camp Halfblood was blooming with energy. But at the moment, everyone was more along the lines of energy dwindling because it was starting to become night time. Dinner had already been set out and everyone was eating, but Jason and Elisabeth were at the training grounds.

"So, why exactly did you want extra training practice with me, Liz?" The son of Jupiter asked, sweat glistening on his bare chest as he started to put away the equipment. Elisabeth rolled her shoulders a little, her eyes downcast as she started to help him.

"Training helps me when I'm stressed or emotionally unstable." Jason nodded.

"You on you-"

"NO!" Elisabeth screeched, her face going a bright crimson. "I am NOT!"

Jason laughed as he put the last of the equipment into the shed. "All right, if it isn't that, why you feeling emotionally distressed?" Elisabeth groaned. This was going to be painful.

"Can we just sword fight for a little bit?" The daughter of Aphrodite pleaded.

"Nope." Jason said as he led her to the first row of seats and sat her down. "You are telling me why, then we can train to your heart's content. Deal?" Elisabeth sighed and looked into Jason's blue eyes. She saw the determination in them.

"Fine." The demigod girl said reluctantly, looking away from him and down at the marble stone as her ADHD started kicking in. "Well... I have been worried lately. For a friend of mine back in New York City..." She looked up at the stars and closed her eyes. "We are like a inseparable duo, so when I come here and he doesn't... it hurts me right here." She put her hand over her heart and looked at Jason. He was smiling a little. "What?"

Jason ajusted himself a little to face her, the smile turning to more of a sympathetic gesture. "Sounds to me like you are in love." Elisabeth blushed again, her eyes widening in horror.

"I-I-I-I can't be in love with him!" She blurted. "I am dating his brother! If he found out that I am falling-" She stopped when Jason placed a hand on her shoulder. She winced a little bit because of the soreness of it, but hid it pretty well.

"Calm down." He said, his voice taking on a more parental tone. "I am only stating what I think... Tell me, who is your boyfriend?"

"Nick... Nick Plutaina." Jason nodded, looking up at the stars.

"How long have you been dating?"

"Four years." Jason arched an eyebrow.

"Has he tried to get serious?" Elisabeth nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm not ready for that... So I told him to wait. He didn't like that." Jason nodded slowly, his eyes softening as he wrapped an arm around her gently and comfortingly. It reminded her of what her real dad would do.

"And what about the brother? What's his name?" She smiled a little, the sparkle in her eyes flaring with a light that Jason did not notice for the last few days.

"Henry. Henry Plutaina." She said, her smile reaching her eyes as she looked up at the stars. "When I was adopted by Percy and Nico, we ran into each other by accident at the orphanage. He was just passing by and I was coming out and we collided." She laughed a little, watching the memory happen in her mind all over again. "He apologized so much and I just couldn't stop laughing. We have been the best of friends after that, and when I made a new friend on a quest, we became the Misfit Trio."

Jason smiled a little, chuckling to himself. "And do you like Henry more than a friend?"

Elisabeth tore her eyes away from the sky and looked at him like he was asking her to open Pandora's box. "I... I never thought about it." She said as she looked back at her black Converse. "I guess... I guess I have feelings for him... Nick would probably beat him to a pulp if he found out though." Jason arched an eyebrow in concern.

"What do you mean?"

"Nick... Doesn't like me hanging around his brother, or any guy for that matter." Elisabeth admitted. "He likes me to only be his girl, and when I talk to Henry or even look at the pizza man to give him the tip for the pizza, he gets Nico wants me to be, too. Telling me what I can't and can do, who to talk to, what to listen to, hell! He even told me to stop drawing and writing! That drew the line and I am starting to get scared of him." She looked at Jason, her eyes pleading with him. "Don't tell anyone I said that."

Jason was looking at her with a cold look. It made her feel uncomfortable, but he gently patted her arm and let go, standing up. "My suggestion to you is that you dump Nick as soon as you can." He looked at her with sternness, like he wasn't just suggesting, but warning. "You need to get out of this relationship as soon as you can. It will only get worse and I would hate to see Nico's reaction to what comes next." And with that, he walked off the bleachers and took up position. "But right now, let's train."

Nick looked around the Aphrodite table for his girlfriend during dinner, but didn't find her. 'Where could she be?' He thought as he sat next to the lovey dovey couple that he and Elisabeth call friends and started picking at his food. "Hey, love birds!" He said in annoyance to get their attention.

Alex looked over at him with an annoyed look. "Oh, look who decided to actually realize are existence when we are not trying to be friends with his girlfriend." She said acidly, her anger in her eyes showing he wasn't forgiven by her from last year's 'incident'.

"Do either of you two know where my girl is? She's not at the Aphrodite table."

"No, bro." Jonny said bitterly. "She doesn't have to check in with us before she goes off. After all, she is a person, not a dog." Nick glared at him and played with his food.

Since last year, he had made sure Elisabeth would only talk to him at this camp. He had driven all her friends away, made sure no one would go to the midnight shifts for counseling at the Big House, and even made sure that no one would train with her except him. Yes, it was a little over the top, but she was getting to friendly with all the other guys and girls. She was bi, so he had to make sure she wouldn't ditch him for anyone. It didn't go well with Alex and Jonny, and that ruined their friendship, but she still talked to them. He didn't mind that at all, but it irked him still.

"Do you thin-"

"Nick, shut the hell up!" Alex snapped, glaring at him. "You already took away her friends, you want her freedom now too? Well tough shit bitch! She has the right to be away from you." Jonny nodded a little and held his girlfriend back before she did something stupid. Nick glared at her.

"She has no freedom, slut." He hissed as he got up and dumped the rest of the food into the fire. He wasn't hungry anyway.

Next thing he knew, he was wandering to the training arena. He knew how much she liked training, even though she wasn't suppose to. But when he got closer, he could hear the sounds of swords clashing, so he snuck into the shadows. He snuck into the arena and watched as his Elisabeth and the new adult at the Big House were training, her body moving in perfect rhythm with his attacks, bending, twisting, moving like a dancer in a ballet. The councilor switched up his rhythm, but she was like water, switching to match him perfectly. Nick grinned in pride. She was perfect in every way to him, even if he didn't approve of her fighting. Then he noticed that they were both sweating hard, and that the man had no shirt on, and she was only in her sports bra and basketball shorts. This made him mad as hell.

"OAFF!" He snapped out of his rage, his eyes widening when he saw the sight before him. Elisabeth had pinned the man to the ground, sword to his throat, knee in his abdomen, and his sword in her other hand. "Well, looks like someone has been practicing." The man said, smiling kindly up at her, making Nick's stomach turn.

"Well, I learned from the best." She said smugly as she got off of him, offering a hand up. Nick glared as their hands touched and she was able to pull him up to his feet. "Best five out of six?"

"Nah, maybe tomorrow. I am beat, and you should really get some food in you. Your energy will die off if you don't." He said, taking back his sword and placing a hand on her shoulder. Nick growled lowly when he did that, and the fact that she let him keep it there as he whispered something to her. Then he left while she got a drink form her and sat in the marble bleachers. Nick remembered what he wanted to do when he found her alone, and a smile slithered across his face.

Time to make that happen.

Elisabeth sat there, looking up at the stars, smiling to herself. She let Jason's words roll around her head a little, especially the last ones before he left. "If he hits you, tell me as soon as you can. I am here for you, so don't be afraid." 'I wonder what he meant?' She thought to herself. 'Nick would never hurt me-'

"How wyour night time practice, slut?" Elisabeth turned around and looked up into the angry eyes of her boyfriend, his cold smirk chilling her to the bone.

"Nick! What are you doing here?" she asked, standing up and brushing the dust off her clothing. "I thought you would be eating with everyone-"

"Oh, so you planned on hanging out with that blond man all night?" His words sliced into the daughter of Aphrodite like a knife, her eyes widening in confusion and hurt.

"Nick, what are you talking about? He's just a friend of my dads-"

"Oh sure, and both of you practicing with hardly any cloths on was just you two having a good time. " He said as he walked down and stood right in front of her, grabbing her arm tightly in his hand. "Oh, and I watched that last little bit of practice. You two move perfectly in sync." He squeezed her arm a little more and caused her to wince in pain. "How long have you two been doing this little secret meet up?"

"It's not what you think, Nick!" She said, trying to yank her arm away from him, but he only pulled her closer. "It was just a simple training session! No one else will train with me anymore!"

He glared at her and wrapped his free arm around her waist, making escape impossible for her. "Well, now your with me, you don't need him to train with."

Her eyes widened with fear, and strangely Nick loved that look."Nick, your scaring me." She whispered. He grinned even wider.

"Good." Then he pushed her onto the ground and kicked her in the ribs. "That's for being a slut." Another kick. "That's for training with another man." And one more to her head. "And that is for just pissing me off." She whimpered lightly, her eyes closed as she curled up into a ball and let him kick her. It felt good to let her know how pissed she was making him. It felt great to see her powerless to him, to hear her whimper in fear of him. "I should have done this a long time ago." He whispered to himself as he turned around and left her there to cry. She watched him leave, and she spat after him, her eyes filled with anger.

"So that's what Jason meant."


	8. Chapter 8

Jason walked back and forth, back and forth, as Chiron read his Lord of the Rings The Twin Towers in the comfort of the Big House. Jason groaned a little as he stopped pacing and kicked the wall, leaving a hole where his foot had crashed through the drywall. Nico and Percy were just walking into the room, jumping out of their skins when they heard the TWACK! fallowed by a groan of pain. Chiron looked up form him book, his reading glasses tilted on the bridge of his nose.

"You ok, Jason?" He asked, closing his book slowly as Jason sat on the couch. "You seem to be very uneasy since you came back from the arena."

"I'm just, well," Jason started, looking around the room a little to make sure that no one would hear his words. But Nico and Percy hid in the shadows, just out of his sight, so his words reached their ears like knifes and daggers. "I am a recent father, and well, I miss my child." Chiron nodded slowly, sighing as he placed the book on the side table and rolled over to him in his wheelchair.

"So you want to go home to your family?"

"No sir." Jason said slowly, choosing his words carefully. There was a storm brewing in his stormy grayish blue eyes, a determined, worried storm. "I ran into a camper who is having a relationship problem. And I'm scared for her since she has been in this relationship for a long time." Chiron's eyes narrowed, guessing who he was talking about.

"By chance, is it Elisabeth?"

"Yes." Jason said hesitantly. "She told me a few things that are signs that the boy, this Nick guy, is more like his father than anything. He doesn't like her around other men, he tries to force her to change, and he likes to beat up his brother. I'm afraid that he might start hurting her, and I don't know how far he will go to keep her." Chiron nodded, his face grim and worn.

"I actually talked to a few of the campers about her. I notice they all started to become distant from her, except Jonny and Alex of the Hephaestus Cabin. Seems someone had threatened them to leave her alone since last year, but they won't say who."

Nico gritted his teeth, his fist clenched in anger at what he was hearing. Percy, on the other hand, was shocked. 'Wouldn't Elisabeth tell us if something was wrong? Unless...'

"Does Elisabeth know about the threats?" Both Jason and Chiron whirled their heads around, staring strait at where Percy stood, not bothering to hide anymore.

"Percy, when did you-" Jason started.

"Just answer the question, Superman." Nico growled, coming out of the shadows as well. "We need to know."" Chiron cleared his throat a little and sighed.

"I'm afraid she seems not to." Jason looked between his two Big Three cousins, his eyes scanning them over in curiosity. Percy was unnaturally cool about it, his face blank at the moment as he thought over the information that he had just received. Nico, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to kill everything in a split second. Then, a girl with white blond hair ran in with panic in her eyes.

"Has anyone seen Liz?!" She asked, looking at the four adults with pure terror on her face. "I looked everywhere for her!" Jason arches an eyebrow.

"I was just with her at the training arena. She wasn't there?" the girl shook her head no. Chiron rolled to her side in a hurry, holding her shoulder steady.

"Why are you looking for her?"

"Nick seemed a little sketch looking for her at dinner, and I when he came back to the cabin for bed, there was blood on his shoe that wasn't there before! And I haven't been able to find Elisabeth anywhere!" Everyone in the room paled.

This was bad. Really really bad.

"I'll find her." Jason said, running out of the Big House faster than The Flash, right to the arena in hopes she was still there. But when he got there, he couldn't find her. Just her bottle of water, her camp shirt, her sword, and a small pool of blood.

"Oh gods..." He heard something behind him, and he whirled around. Jason squinted into the darkness, the moonlight unable to aid his sight in the dark corners. "Elisabeth?" He called, but with no reply. "Elisabeth! It's Jason!" Silence. This was bad, very very bad. He closed his eyes and tried to think. Where would she go? Where does she go to feel safe. All victims try and escape to a safe place. 'Where would I go if I was her?' One thought came to mind, something Nico and Percy had told him about when they were first in the closet.

'There was this lavender grove that we all just fell in love with. It was like our safe haven." Percy had told him, his voice ringing as clear as day in his head.

"Elisabeth always hides there when she wants to get away from people. She even sleeps there sometimes when she doesn't want to go to her cabin." Nico stated in his snobby matter-of-fact tone, perfectly echoing louder in his head than what Percy had said.

'Safe. Secure. Safe haven.' Jason thought. 'She would be there...'

Percy ran up behind him, stopping just next to him. So did Nico, his face paling more when he saw the blood. "She's not here?" Percy asked, heaving in and out as he tried to shook his head, and looked Percy dead in the eyes.

"I think I know where she might be."

Everything was spinning... The stars and the sky was switching places... Wonder why the sky looks so blurry? Elisabeth laid in the grove, her head throbbing horribly like someone had just hit her in the head with steal... 'Oh... Nick had steal toed boots... That might be why...' She groaned again as she looked up in the moon with hazy eyes. "Maybe I should call Tina... She would know how to cheer me up..." She sat up slowly, holding her stomach, the skin starting to turn a greenish yellow color. It matched the ones on her ribs. " It's a pretty color." she said smiling as she pulled a crystal off her neck and let the moonlight filter through, causing a beautiful rainbow.

"Who would you like to message?" A soft voice asked from the rainbow, which wasn't strange at all to her.

"Tina McGavin in New York City, Manhattan. I don't remember the address... I'm fuzzy on that." Then she flipped a drachma she kept on her at all times into the rainbow. It disappeared and instantly and the colors rippled like water in a disturbed ocean pool. The image in the rainbow started to glimmer, and on the other end was darkness. "Serpentina? You there?"

"Who this?" The voice was distant, like she was off the to the side or in the other room. "And it better be good. I was enjoying a message from my hubby."

"It's me... Elisabeth."

Tina turned on a light and she looked amazing, her sunglasses tilted a little and her snakes hissing in glee. She was dressed in a lovely cream colored robe, most likely silk, and it was hanging off her one shoulder. There was another figure next to her in his boxers. Her vision was blurry, but she assumed it was Tony. "Girl! How is camp- IS THAT BLOOD ON YOUR FACE!?" The gorgon screamed, the image blurring in and out as the demigod tried to focus. Elisabeth closed her eyes, her head starting to go numb. "BABY, WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE YOU ARE DYING!?" "I think I'm fine." Elisabeth said groggily. "Nick kicked me... Not in practice..." Her eyes closing slowly as she tried to get her head to stop spinning. "I think I'll be ok. A few broken ribs... and I think he cracked my skull."

"YOU THINK HE WAHT?!" She looked angry... All three of her. "IF I COULD GET TO YOU, I WOULD KILL THAT STUPID MAN! NO, HE'S NOT A MAN! HE'S A RAT!"

"Calm down, love." Tony cooed as he held her gently. " Elisabeth, are you in the grove?"

"Yes."

"She sounds weak, we better call Henry and tell him to go get her to a hospital, ASAP." Tony suggested, and it looked like Tina was pulling out her phone. "Elizabeth, I need you to stay awake for me ok? Do you have any spare cloth on you?" She shook her head no. "I need you to find something, like a bundle of leaves, to stop the bleeding on your head. And I need you to stay on the line with me, ok? I'll pay Isis."

"But I'm... Really..." Elisabeth felt her vision tunneling as she fell back to the earth beneath her, the connection breaking when the crystal on the chain slipped through her hands and into the grass next to her. But as her vision faded, she could have sworn she saw someone standing over her, she could have sworn she felt hands pick her up off the ground. But she remembered someone's words before falling into the darkness, probably just a tick of the mind but still, she heard them loud and clear in the spinning, fuzzing world she was plummeting out of.

"I got you, Liz."


	9. Chapter 9

"ELISABETH?!"

Nico was screaming at the top of his lungs as he ran through the dirt path to the grove, fallowing the blood and stumble patterns that were all that was telling him Elisabeth was heading in that direction. He could shadow travel, sure, but what if she never made it? What if she had strayed off the path and wasn't there? 'What if she was de-' He retracted those thoughts and steered them away from doom casting. She was alive, she was going to make it. All he needed to do was find her. She wasn't going to be alone like he was. Not for this. Not ever.

As soon as he made it to the grove, he stopped dead in his tracks. There was his daughter, pail skinned and sickly in the moonlight with crimson blood cracking brown across the side of her head. He could see where the greenish yellow bruises were forming from her being kicked, the evidence of at least two broken ribs plane and the way she was breathing... She probably had a punctured lung as well.. She looked terrible, but that's not what made him stop. Someone else was there with her, standing over her, dressed all in black and the hood was up.

"I got you, Liz."

Nico stood in shock as the figure picked up his daughter in his arms bridal style, holding her close to his chest as her blood soaked face rested gently into it's shoulder. Then it turned to him. The figure had a mask on his face, making him look like a skeleton's skull that was twisted and morphed into a sad, apologetic look. It was hard to tell if he was human or not.

"..." It stared at Nico for only moments, then looked down at Elisabeth in his arms. "I swear by the River Styx and in my father's name that I will be taking her to the closest hospital I can find. I will leave you the address... Don't try to fallow." And as soon as its deep, dark words were said, it was gone in like a spirit.

With Elisabeth.

Nico's eyes widened. Who was this thing? What was it?! Then his mind snapped out of his daze. His daughter needed a hospital, and someone had taken her. And not just in the normal way, but... Nico walked timidly over to the patch of grass the thing had stood on, and sure enough there were shadows. The thing had shadow traveled away with his daughter. He thought he was the only one... Maybe... He threw these ideas to the side. No! For some reason, he trusted the stranger, and he knew his daughter was safe with it. His daughter's abuser was going to pay first. And he was going to pay in blood and sweat and bone.

"Who in The name of Hades was that!?" Nico whirled around and saw Jason and Percy standing at the edge of the clearing, mouths agape and eyes wide.

"I don't know..." Nico admitted, and walked over to them. "But I trust it, and I will hold it to its word." Jason patted his shoulder gently.

"It will be ok..." Nico nodded, his fists clenched and his knuckles turning white.

"Oh yes. It will be." As Nico pushed past the two of them as he disappeared into the shadows. Jason looked at Percy, and Percy back at Jason. They both knew something was going to happen. Something really, REALLY bad.

Nick paced in his corner of the room, ripping at his finely trimmed blond hair as he started panicking. He had just kicked his girlfriend. He had KICKED her, not just once, but three fucking times! This wasn't right, he loved her! He couldn't hurt her at all! But... The blood on his shoes was enough to crash his beliefs into the ground... And the feeling he got when he did it... Did his father ever do that to his Aphrodite?

'Son, calm down...' He heard the familiar voice in the back of his head, his father's voice, his godly father who had not forsaken him yet. 'Remember, I am a jealous man... But to hit my Aphrodite is to hit my heart... Can you hit your heart?'

"But father!" Nick said in hushed whispers, kneeling on the cold iron floor looking at the statue of rare mettle that was made to represent his father, and looking up at it with tears in his eyes. "What do I do? I love her, but I can't stand to see her with other men."

'Nor can I burden the knowledge that my Aphrodite loves another man.' The deep and gravely voice said in a soothing tone. 'But I have a gift for you to help you after what you have done.'

He heard a small buzzing noise and looked up yo the ceiling. A twinkle of diamond and silver darted through the air, a silver mechanical dragonfly landing on his shoulder holding a perfectly sized and hand embroidered engagement ring. Made for a woman's dainty finger. Nick looked at in aw, his envy over the perfect craftsmanship of the small frame and the delicate embroidery of swirling gaps in the ring filled in with a clear crystal so that it glittered in the firelight of the furnaces making him wish he was more like his father than ever.

'Son... Place this ring on her finger... And no man will ever be able to take her heart from you. But she must love you with all her heart for this to work. Do you understand?' Nick nodded excitedly.

"I understand, father. I understand." And the voice went silent in the back of his head, he was alone with just his thoughts again. But this time, they were scheming, plotting, twisted thoughts like bent bars that were melted down as scrap mettle. Grabbing his guitar, he left to the beach where he first noticed the love of his life, and started ironing out the song he had written just for his Aphrodite. Just for his love of his life. Just for Elisabeth.

Tina waited in the car with Toby, her hands in his as she bounced up and down as he searched for his keys."Calm down, Tina." The Jamaican soothed and he tried to calm his lover down. "Elisabeth will be fine. See? We are in a hospital. Neutral grounds."

"But she will have to go back to that horrible camp as soon as she is released." She hissed, tears streaming down her face. "The one place I can't get into to help her, and the one time she gets herself left alone with the son of a bitch!" Her snakes hissed under their baseball cap, writhing and squirming in worry. "She's been here for me, and look! I couldn't do anything to stop this!" Toby paused in his search and held her chin in his callused hand, gently coaxing her to look at him through her sunglasses.

"She will be fine, dear. She is a tough cookie. She won't let it happen again."

"But what if no one knows he did it to her?" Tina questioned, panic gripping her immortal heart. "What if they all think it was Henry? he said that Nico, Percy, and some other man saw him take her away. what of they think he did it and Nick gets off free?! He might do this again to her! And again! And she is too soft to say no, Desperado! She won't be able to break up with him." Toby held Tina's face gently in both his hands, gently rubbing soothing circles in her cheeks with his thumb.

"Stop thinking like that... I bet that she will have the motivation to move on now form that jerk... And before he can purpose, we will settle wheels in motion for Henry and her to have their happily ever after." Tina chuckled a little, a smile creeping onto her worried face.

"Unlike Hades and Persephone?"

"Unlike Hades and Persephone."

"More like us?" Toby smiles and kissed her lips gently, whispering the words so only they could hear.

"More like us." Tina smiles a little more and holds his hand in hers, leaning her cheek into his remaining hand in comfort.

"Yeah... Think Henry needs some company now? He's been in there with her since they did the surgery hours ago... Think he should be alone with her a little longer?" Toby nods, smiling like a proud father.

"He needs time alone with her." He said. "Henry need this. He's already beating himself up about not being there for her when this happened. Let him be there for her till she wakes up. If he wants us in there, he will come out and ask." Tina nods and snuggled as close as the car interior would let her to Toby, her nose crinkling a little, which he found very cute.

"I hate this. Smells like new car."

"Oh, look who's whining."

"Shut up."

"I love you too, Tina."

"Where the hell is this hospital anyway?" Tina asked, looking up at Toby with curiosity.

"Uuuhhhh... Saint Sinai Hospital. I think." Tina pulled out her phone and pulled up her Map App, typing the information into it before wiring it into the car. Toby found the keys and revved the engine of his sleek navy blue 2014 Lamborghini. They drove off fast, ignoring blue and red lights that tried to fallow them as they sped to Long Island, NY as fast as they could. Tina stood up in her seat and let the wind whip her bare skin and whooped at the top of her lungs

"ELISABETH, BABY, HERE WE COME!"

Henry was sitting by the bed, his hand intertwined with the limp, pale, and dainty one that belonged to the girl in the hospital bed. His black cloak and skeletal mask he had borrowed from Toby laid out on the second chair in the corner of the room, her blood staining the shoulder where her head had been fractured by his step brother's boot. Henry didn't look at her bandaged face, or her exposed bloody gaze above the baby blue covers. He didn't even look at the IV sticking out of her arm, or the other wires attached to the rest of her skin. In fact, he didn't look at any part of her other than their hands. The only sound that was made in that room was the beeping of the machines that were hooked up to her.

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

Henry looked up at the door that was slowly opening. Keeping his hand in her's, he reached for the gun he had stolen from their mother before he had left, thinking that Nick might come at any second to take her back to Camp Half Blood... Or worse. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was just the nurse checking in on them.

"Do you need any food?" She asked, smiling politely as she started to change out the IV bag and O+ blood bag. "We have a cafeteria if you want me to get you something." Henry smiled at her, but shook his head no.

"I'm not hungry."

"Well, its there when you are." She patted his shoulder a little as she examined Elisabeth a little bit to make sure her wounds weren't bleeding like they were when she got out of surgery. "She's very lucky you got her here when you did. She wouldn't have lasted longer than two hours if she was left in that state." Henry nodded, squeezing the daughter of Aphrodite's hand reassuringly.

"I wish I was there to stop it from happening in the first place."

"Well..." The woman said, letting her blond hair fall as she stretched a little. "I'm glad you saved her. Would have been sad to see her die." Henry looked up at her in confusion.

"What-" The woman pulled up the chair next to him, forcing his eyes to look at her. She was flawless and beautiful... And somewhat scary. But she smiled charmingly at him and patted his head.

"I wouldn't have expected you to recognize a goddess when you saw one, Henry. No one ever does."


	10. Chapter 10

Henry's blood brown eyes stared into the goddess' sapphire blue ones in utter shock. A goddess... Here... Talking to him! Of all people! She leaned back in her chair and played with one of her golden locks of blond hair as she smirked in amusement.

"I'm betting three drachma that you can't name who I am in one try, Henry." She teased, her eyes glittering with enjoyment. But he already knew who she was.

"Your Aphrodite!" He smiled again, handing him three of the golden coins she had wagered as a prize. "But, aren't you not allowed to be here? After all, Elisabeth-"

"Isn't my child." Aphrodite interrupted, taking out a pack of gum. "Want one? It's strawberry flavor." Henry leaned closer to her, holding his head in his hands, trying to rap his brain around what she just said. Running a shaky hand through his hair, he looked back at her with a determined look.

"No thanks." he said, and Aphrodite just shrugged and popped a peice in her mouth. "But why do you say she isn't your daughter?"

"Easy, she's not." Aphrodite stated in a bored tone. "I was paid to claim her. Best hour alone with Ares out of my existence." Henry looked between Elisabeth's peaceful face and Aprodite's, noticing for the first time how different they were, look wise that is. Elisabeth had a natural beauty to her, her features just perfect for her. But there was nothing that looked like it was part of Aphrodite's DNA pool. Their noses were completely different, their eye shape were totally not a match, not even their face shapes were the same. Elisabeths was a more rounded and smooth shape while Aphrodite had a more angular face. Don't get him wrong, they both looked amazing, but Elisabeth was just more... His type of beauty.

"So..." He looked at Aphrodite again, a little less afraid of her than he originally was. " If she is not your daughter... Then who-"

"No ones. She's not a 'daughter' of anyone." Aphrodite mused as she blew a bubble. It didn't pop in her face, it was more of she blew and it deflated from a hole that had formed. "Mortal or immortal." She added, like it was an afterthought that wasn't really that important. She smiled sweetly as she sat up strait and crossed her legs daintily. "Much like you, as a matter of fact."

"What do you mea-"

"Sorry, no more questions." The goddess of love stated, putting on a serious face. It could have looked a little more serious if not for the bubbles she was blowing with the bubble gum. "I only have another five minutes before I have to attend another boring meeting. Like, seriously! Why do we have to always have a meeting about boring things, when we could be actually working to fix the problem! Like the lack of love in a relationship now a days! Instead of talking, just rekindle the flame! You understand me,right?" Honestly, he did.

"Yeah, it sucks. I see couples fighting over the stupidest things, and they could be so perfect together if they just shoved it aside and moved on." Aphrodite's seriousness shattered when a grin that stretched ear to ear slipped through, and she started squealing like a fangirl at a concert.

"Finally! Someone who understands something important!" She had to take a few breaths before she could jump back on topic and remake that serious mask again. "But, I'm not here to gab. I need you to do something for me." Henry arched an eyebrow, leaning his elbows onto his knees and holding his hands together.

"So, let me get this strait, a goddess needs help from me?"

"Yes, or to be more accurate, you will be helping yourself as well as me." She corrected, smiling sweetly like she had nothing to hide. "But, I would suggest you listen closely. It's going to be very important for you to fallow what I'm about to say very closely." Henry started to nod, but stopped.

"May I ask for something first?" The goddess arched an eyebrow, her sapphire eyes glittering with curiosity. "When I do everything you ask of me, I want you to explain exactly what you meant by 'much like me.' and the comments before it." Aphrodite smiled sweetly and nodded her head.

"Sure kid. Though, you will both find out soon enough. Ok, down to business." The goddess stood, the room becoming dark as she glowed. The unearthly light cast shadows across the room, that eerie feeling in the pit of Henry's stomach that he hadn't given much thought to growing in intensity.

"You must do three things, Henry Plutaina, and you must do them exactly the way I tell you." She said in a commanding and powerful voice. He couldn't help but flinch a little bit. "First, sneak into the attic at the Big House and talk to the Oracle. She will tell you the prophesy that will either condemn you or be your salvation. Second, you must travel to Hade's fortress and speak to Persephone. Listen to her sad story that she will tell, and remember it for as long as you love Elisabeth. Trust me, this part is the key important part to all this. And lastly, I need you to live through this. No matter how low your spirit goes, no matter if she chooses another man over you, stay alive and live." She smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek. It was so warm and soft, like silk sheets coming right out of the dryer, Henry closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feeling. "Thank you, Aphrodite." "Oh, don't thank me." She said as she retracted her hand from his face, a playful smile on her lips. "You and her fates have been tied since you were made." His eyes opened and he looked at her, his mouth opening to ask more questions but she stopped him before he had the chance to speak. "Oh, and by the way, gift for you." She said, handing him a simple silver band with intricate designs and diamonds in it, like a-

"Why an engagement ring?" He asked, looking at her in confusion.

"Trust me," She said as she winked at him. "you will know exactly what to do with it when the time comes."

"But-" He said, standing up still holding the ring in his hands. But it was too late. Within the blink of an eye, she was gone. It was just him, Elisabeth, and the machines beeping in time with her heartbeat.

Beep

Beep

Beep

Beep

There were so many questions now. What was Aphrodite talking about when she said that they weren't anybody's child? Why was she so keen on him going to see an Oracle, much less see Persephone or stay alive?How did this help a goddess at all? And why this ring? What was it's purpose? Sitting back down, Henry looked at the ring in his hands, his questioning gaze scrutinizing every detail of it. I could have been better, he would admit. It was too flashy for Elisabeth, she would have gone with a simpler version, just the silver band with a single swirling patter around the whole band. No diamonds, nothing over the top, just one engraved swirl around a plain little band of silver.

"Uuuuhhhh" Henry looked up, surprised to hear a groan coming from inside the room. He looked around in a panic, pocketing the ring as fast as he could in his jean pocket, but there was no one there. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that it wasn't his brother- 'Not brother... He is not my brother. Not after this.' He thought to himself, only to have his train of thought crash. "Henry?"

Henry looked slowly at the bed, the one person he did not expect to see up for a lot longer smiling faintly at him.

"Elisabeth?" He said in a soft voice, his smile reaching his eyes as they started to let tears escape. She slowly raised her delicate, paper pale hand and whipped away his tears, holding his cheek. It wasn't cold, not like it was when she had gone into the surgery. It was warm, and the touch was enough to make him close his eyes just a little. This was better than Aphrodite's touch.

"You saved me?" She asked, smiling weakly as she forced her amber eyes to stay open. She sounded weak, and powerless. So... not her.

"Yeah." Henry said softly. "I saved you." She smiled a little and closed her eyes, her hand slipping off of his face and back to her side. He held her hand gently, letting her know he was there, but more for himself when he felt the fresh guilt for not being there to protect her wash over him again. She was breathing heavily, trying to get air into her patched up lung, her eyes closing slowly as she slipped back into her drug induced sleep. "I'll be right here for you. I'll be right here till you wake up."

"Henry..." She said in a hushed and dry whisper, her voice fading as her eyes closed.

"Yeah?"

"Can you sing to me? And hold me like you did on the roof that night?" She said sleepily, forcing her eyes open again. Those amber eyes were darker now, their usually light gone. She wasn't innocent to the horrors of the world now. Even if it was just the drugs that they had her on, maybe she would never have that same shine in her eyes as she used to. That shimmer in the eyes of a girl with a dream and the innocence to propel those dreams into reality. That thought scared him, cutting him to his very bone.

"Yeah.." He said, picking her up gently and repositioning her so that he was holding her in his arms and her head was resting on his sturdy shoulder. "But I won't sound good. I was always a horrible singer." She laughed a little, a twinkle of her old self shining though just the slightest bit.

"I think your the best singer in the world." He smiled a little, kissing her forehead out of lack of caring at this point. Tears started to blur his eyes and he just held her close, just one more time.

"Well then, in that case... I'll sing you a lullaby."

Tina and Toby fallowed one if the nurses through the white hallway to the room. They had arrived a while ago, but waited in the car until they thought that Henry should have a little more company than just the injured Elisabeth.

"Here's her room, miss." The male nurse said, turning in his heels to get away from them. Well, of course they would looked scary, they drove all night just to find this place. "If you need anyone, just flag down one of the other nurses." He said hurriedly.

"Thanks!" Tina shouted after him, flipping him off when he turned his back. "Fag." She grumbled. Toby had thrown on a nice Bruce Springsteen shirt and some worn out work jean before they left, his hair still in messy, windblown dreads from having the car windows down the whole way there to keep him awake. Tina, on the other hand, was only wearing a slinky, sexy leather dress, a pair of biker boots, her blind glasses on, and her baseball cap. So, when someone started staring at Tina, Toby looked like he was going to rip their heads off.

"We'll, that was tedious." Toby said in boredom.

"What, didn't get to fight for the monster?" Tina teased. Toby took her hand in his and bowed slightly, kissing her hand

"More like fight for my princes, my love." She smiled deviously and kissed his lips.

"Don't make me steal a room for us."

"Someone wanting to play doctor?"

"Depends, am I the nurse?"

"You would be the patient, more than likely."

"Then yes."

"Well," Toby said as he put one hand on the door nob to the room where she was suppose to be. "first we make sure Elisabeth and Henry are ok." Tina sighed, nodding a little.

"Fine."

Toby opened the door just a little bit, and stopped. Tina looked at him curiously, then peered in with him. Henry was holding Elisabeth close to him, her body resting comfortably against him, as he sang to her. She looked like she was already asleep, but he began singing in a soft, smooth voice that was very pleasing to hear.

"Rest your weary head on me

I'll catch you every time you fall.

And I'll never wonder

'Do you ever need me at all?'

If you need some company

You just need to give me a call.

I'm right here

Standing right in front of you.

Waiting

Just waiting for you to catch up so we

So we can be

Be something we were meant to be.

Will you ever love me?

Like I loved you...

Like I still do..."

Tina looked at Toby in amazement. 'Did you know he could sing?' She mouthed to him, looking up at him in aw.

'No.' He mouthed back.'Don't mention it.'

'Ok.' Toby slowly opened the door a little more and walked in. "Hey..." Henry looked up at them and smiled sadly.

"Hey."

"How she doing?" Tina asked, still trying not to look like she was about to cry.

"Better. Doctors said she would have to stay for another week."

"That's good though!" Tina said, jumping up and down. "We can get her out-"

"No." Both Toby and Tina looked at him in surprise. He was glaring at them, his eyes slowly turning black before their eyes. "I have something to do first."

"Ok..." Toby took a step closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, ok? This wasn't your fault."

"I know." Henry said as he shifted Elisabeth off of him and slipped out of the bed. "But I know who's it really is."

"Henry, if your going to do what I think you are going to, that's not the answer." Tina said as she gave him a tender hug. "Killing him won't do anything." Henry arched an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face.

"What about-"

"No violence." She stated coldly. "She wouldn't want that." Henry sighed and nodded, going over to his cloak and mask that Aphrodite had inconsiderately left on the floor."What are you doing?"

"I made a promise to Nico I would tell him where his daughter was." Henry stated, pulling the mask over his face, his voice deepening into a unfamiliar and different tone. "And I will honor my word."

Toby looked at Tina, who was also staring at him, and they both looked back at Henry in confusion. "Don't you want to stay here with Elisabeth?" Tina asked, a little hesitantly. Henry shook his head.

"There is something I need to do." Was all he said.

And with that, he was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

Henry's feet silently landed on the wooden floor of the Big House with a slight tap sound. His cloak was draping around him like a concealing shadow as the lights started to flicker and dull, giving him an eerie presence in this cabin. He did not want Nico, Percy, or anyone else to know what he was, or more specifically, who, but he just couldn't help but have a flare for the dramatic in this situation. He would never do this if he hadn't put on the mask and cloak, it wasn't his style. Which made it perfect for this particular event.

He stared up the staircase to the creaky attic, a sign pinned on it saying "ORACLE". Must have been there for the new campers who would think of pulling a prank. That made it a little easier on him, at least.

He silently walked though the house, his feet as light as the morning mist that settles over the graveyard. He walked till he found a sign of life within the empty place, and hovered in the shadows. Not wanting to be seen yet, his eyes searching around with determination as the lights dulled even more.

"Gods damn this electricity!" A plump man in a really horrible tourist shirt said as he rolled in his chair at the end of the desk. " First, dad takes away my wine, now he is messing with the lights? What did I do to deserve this-"

"Oh, calm yourself, friend." Another man, much more calm and reasonable than the other, stated. "This is someone else's doing."

"Jason?"

"As much as you hate him, he is not behind this."

"Then who, Chiron? Who the bloody hell is it?!" Henry's ears perked up. Elisabeth had mentioned a guy named Chiron. He was someone that both her adoptive fathers trusted, as well as admired.

"I do not know, but I will go and seek them out."

"Good."

Henry heard four hooves click against the hardwood floor, coming right towards him. As soon as this 'Chiron' cleared the doorway, Henry's eyes widened in amazement. He couldn't believe his eyes, he was looking at a centaur! He was majestic to say the least, with his top half human from the torso up, and the body of a horse the rest of the way down. Strong, long brown hair, well toned, leather straps kept a satchel of arrows on his back and a bow strung across the other shoulder. Henry had never seen anyone like this. Sure, Elisabeth had told him about a guy named Chiron, but she didn't say how awesome he was! She just said he was a guy in a wheelchair!

Henry shook his head and fallowed him slowly, till they were out of retch of the any people who would probably overhear. They were in the basement, the centaur man checking for anyone messing with the breakers. 'All right, this will have to do.'

"If you are going to keep fallowing me, I will not hesitate to kick you with my hind hooves."

Henry blinked, staying silent in his shadows. Chiron turned and looked right at him, not even looking surprised. "I am well used to the presence of darkness, young one. I know when something is... different."

Henry slowly came forward from his protective cacoon, deepening his voice a little as he let the firelight in the room flicker, but said nothing. Chiron chuckled a little, coming a little closer to him. "I assume you are here on account of Miss Walker?" Henry nodded slowly, but keeping his mouth shut. "Will you not speak to me?" Henry kept his mouth shut, his figure unmoving as he was being analyzed. "I know your human... Or at least look like one."

Henry rolled his eyes. Fishing. He was fishing for information. 'Great, just what I needed. Him trying to unravel me.'

"Will you at least tell me how you knew were Miss Walker was? And her condition." 'That I can answer.'

"I was summoned." The look on Chiron's face changed from curious to serious, his eyes darkening just a little more than their already dark brown eyes.

"By whom? I know that she can't-"

"She contacted someone before she blacked out." Henry said in his deep voice, growling jus a little more to add to the masquerade. "I was told of her location, and I saved her."

Chiron nodded slowly, closing his eyes like he was getting a headache. "Where is she?"

"Safe."

"That's not what I asked."

"I will tell no one but her fathers." Henry's eyes narrowed a little as he said the last line. "I don't trust someone to relay my messages for me."

Chiron nodded. "Then let me go get him. Please," he said as he passed him. "Stay here. I don't trust someone who won't show their face."

"Trust me." Henry said in a deep voice. "You don't want to." That should throw him through a ringer.

Chiron galloped through the camp to the training area, were Percy and Nico were giving Nick the workout of his life. Or working him to death. Whichever they choose. Most likely death. When he got there, the centaur could not help but chuckle.

"COME ON, NICK! YOU CAN DO WAY BETTER THAN THAT!" Nick shouted, his words cracking like a whip through the mostly deserted arena. Jason was hosting another training group across the way, all of them in the bleachers on break as Nick started running around the outside edge of the inside of the arena with at least 195 pound's worth of weights on either arm, and at most 200 pounds dragging behind him. Lets just say he was going very slow, and looked like he took a dip in the pond, and smelled like he had been dumpster diving in rotten eggs. "MOVE FASTER OR YOUR DOING ANOTHER LAP!"

Jason came and stood beside Chiron, the other campers laughing as Nick started moving a little faster. "I still think this is a little much."

"We have no control of what he does. As long as he does it and doesn't complain to Mr. D, he can get away with it."

"True." Jason said, smiling over at Percy who was instructing Alex and Jonny on some sword training. "You needed to talk to us?"

Chiron nodded. "The masked figure has returned. He will only speak to Percy or Nico." Chiron sighed, rubbing his temples. "He is very confusing to speak to anyway."

Jason's golden blond eyebrows shot up in complete suprise. "I'll get Percy. It might be better than Nico missing out on his..." He looked over and saw Nico taking off the weights off a collapsed Nick. "Fun. I don't think he is done with him yet..."

"Oh trust me, he is not." Chiron mused, a chuckle of amusement ad Nico dumped water on Nick's head.

"GET UP YOU WEAKLING!" Nico shouted, Nick jumping to his feet like a private getting drilled in the army. "NOW MOVE MOVE MOVE! THREE HUNDRED PUSHUPS! NOW! ONE! TWO! FASTER!"

Jason jogged over to Percy, whispering in his ear and taking over for him. "It's here?" Percy said as he jogged over to Chiron. "I thought it wouldn't come back."

"From what you told me, I swore on the River Styx. You can't back out on it." Chiron reminded, leading Percy away, back to the Big House and opened the door to the basement. "It's down here. I'll leave you two alone."

Percy descended to the dark depth of the basement and listened a little. Someone was muttering to themselves. But about what? But as he got closer, he recognized the voice immediately. 'No... I couldn't be...' He accidentally stepped on a squeaky stair and the voice stopped, the silence filling in and deafening him. "Hello?" He said as he stepped into the blaring candle light, the skeleton mask glowing evilly, making the sad expression turn evil and demented. It was sitting on the couch, it's eyes locked on him as he stood a little taller than Percy and spoke in a deeper, unrecognizable voice.

"Hello, Percy Jackson."

Henry waited until he heard the front door close when he made his move. Being as silent as a shadow, he snuck out of the basement and climbed his way to the top of the stairs, his hand gently twisting the nob to the Oracle's Attic. Aphrodite had told him to see the Oracle, why not now while the centaur was getting one of the two parents? It would mean that he could escape and not have to worry about trying to get into this place again.

The door creaked open and he stepped into the crowded attic. It was filled with dust, the light filtering in through the dust coated stain glass windows making it look hazy in there. But when he took a deep breath, he recognized the incense they were burning. So it was a mix of smoke, dust, and foggy light that were fogging his vision. 'Creepy.'

He stepped forward, his eyes looking around the room just a little before landing on a painting. It was fresh, the paint still drying on the wonderful sunset on the ocean. The technique was just stunning, Henry actually felt like he was right there. Like he was feeling the dying sun's rays on his skin. "Amazing."

"Thanks."

Henry spun around, his eyes widening when he noticed woman sitting on a stool outlined by the window. Her wild red hair falling in curls around her angular, freckled face, and her deep forest green eyes seemed to reach into his soul. She tilted her head a little, like she was waiting for him to say something, but he just stared.

"What?" She asked.

"You're Rachel Dare... You're an Oracle of Delphi?" She arched a perfect eyebrow and stood, brushing some dust off her painted shorts.

"Yeah, and you're just some kid who's lost. Who you looking for? Chiron? Mr. D?" Henry shook his head.

Rachel Elisabeth Dare, the most successful business woman in the country, partners with Tyson Coal at Mythic Industries, and daughter of a wealthy business man, was a Oracle of Delphi. Holy Crap!Henry always was good when it came to business stuff, so they were his idols! Mostly Rachel cause she was amazing, but Tyson was so young as well! They were like the poster children for 'Nothing's Impossible!' He had dreamed of meeting them for so long, now, he was looking right at Rachel! Talking to her! 'This is amazing!'

"Kid, your spacing."

"Uuhh-" Henry shook his head, clearing the shock away as he removed his mask. "Sorry. I-I, uh... Actually, I came for a prophesy."

"Oh." She said in a board tone, looking me over once and raising an eyebrow. "On a quest?"

"Going to be, I was told to talk to you- not you specifically but- wow I am a real fan of your work! I-I-I mean you and Tyson's work at Mythic Industries! Not this, I really-"

"Kid, your babbling." She said in an amused tone.

"Sorry." He said, trying to breath.

"Anyway, give me a second. I wasn't expecting company." She sat down in her chair and lit more of the herb, rocking it back and forth and letting the sent wash over the room. Her eyes rolled back in her head and glowed, her mouth moving but the voice was not her own. This kind of scared Henry, but he listened as she spoke. And he hung on every word that left her mouth.

_**"Three unborn will raise the sea**_

_**One to protect and two to flee.**_

_**Darkness consumes in a fiery haze**_

_**Light and gray will go unfazed. **_

_**Truths be uncovered, hearts to break**_

_**A soul will rest in darkness' wake."**_

Then she stopped, groaning a little. Henry rushed to her side, making sure she was in a comfortable position. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah... Aftershock." Rachel said groggily, her hand gripping his arm a little for support. "You know, most kids run out about now."

"Well, I'm not most kids." Henry said jokingly, looking around and spotting a bed. "Do you want to lie down? I can help you to the bed."

"Sure. That's would be nice." Elisabeth said, trying to stand and falling back into him.

"Wow!" He said as he caught her. "I got you, I got you... May I try something?"

"Am I gunna feel embarrassed?"

"Maybe?"

"Try it."

Henry, in a blur of motion, had Rachel up in his arms bridal style, and walked slowly to the bed, laying her down gently. "Better?"

"Ok, seriously." Rachel said in a groggy, yet sarcastic tone. "Who are you?"

Henry chuckled as he put back on his skeleton mask. "I'm the Black Knight."And in a flurry of shadows and smoke, he was gone. Rachel watched from the bed, her eyes widening as the kid disappeared from the room without touching the door. There was only one word that crossed her mind at that point before got hit with a wave of exhaustion.

"Damn."


	12. Chapter 12

"Hello Percy Jackson."

Percy stared at the figure for a few minutes, his hand in his pocket wrapped around his pen sword Riptide. He may of helped his daughter, but that still don't mean who ever this person or thing is good. Finally, he spoke.

"Saint Sinai Hospital."

"What?" Percy said, a little taken aback.

"Your daughter... She's there." The figure said, sitting back down, rolling his shoulders nervously. "I would have told you sooner, but I had to stay with her till she got out of surgery."

Percy's eyes widened in horror. "Surgery?!" The figure nodded slowly. "Why?! How bad did Nick hurt her?!"

"Her skull was cracked, her ribs were broken and one had punctured a lung. She will be there for another week to recover." The figure said, a hint of agony in his voice. "I wish I could have stopped it." It whispered, hoping Percy would miss it. Didn't miss it at all.

"What do you mean?" Percy said, stepping closer. "Why would you care-"

"Because I do." The figure growled, standing to his full hight. He wasn't taller than Percy, but he still had an aura of intimidating power. Percy noticed the fire starting to burn through the candle wick faster as the flame grew in size. "I care because she cares." The figure said, little less menacing this time. He backed away, his form disintegrating into the shadows.

"Wait!" Percy said, trying to grab the mask off the figure only to have it swerve out of the way and pull back.

"Good bye." And like that it was gone.

Percy stood in the darkness, the candle flickering out as a cold breeze flew through the basement. The initial shock of it all was hitting him hard: his daughter was in the hospital, her boyfriend had kicked her so hard she needed surgery, she was alone with that thing for a whole night... But what was worse than the shock of his daughter was the shock of who had saved her.

"That was Henry..." He mumbles to himself, running his hand though his hair. "Henry is a halfblood... A child of Hades..." He looked up at the top of the stairs. He couldn't tell Nico or anyone this, it was too dangerous. Besides, this was just a thought, just a hunch. He had no proof. He needed proof... Or he needed Henry to come out and say it. Those were the only two options.

'Had Elisabeth known all this time?' He thought as he stepped up the stairs fast, his mind spinning out of control. 'Did she not tell them to keep him safe? Did she not want him here?' Then an even scarier thought came to mind.

'Did Nick know?'

Nick groaned as he collapsed on the ground for the fifth time. He had just mucked out the stables, swam the whole lake back and forth with Percy using his powers against me, ran ten laps with unnaturally heavy weights on and dragging behind him, and now he was to do three thousand push ups. What the hell?! ' I haven't seen Liz all day. I need to apologize to her, propose to her...' He smiled a little as he kept going, Nico barking at him to move faster. 'She must be off at the beach in that black bikini I love so much... all wet and lonely... waiting for-'

"Nico!" Nick looked up, his body not taking a second's hesitation as he kept going.

"What?! Can't you see I'm-"

"He came back." Nico stopped mid sentence and grinned widely, then dropped a weight on Nick's back.

"When? Where is-"

"A few minutes ago, but he left as soon as he delivered the address."

"What address?" Both of them stared at Nick, who was struggling not to be crushed by the weights. He had just reached two thousand nine hundred and fifty, so he thought he had a little time to ask. " What are you guys talking about?"

Nico hissed angrily at him and turned back to Percy. "Talk alone?"

"Yes."

"All right." Nick felt the weights lift off of him and he collapsed on the ground. "Get moving, Nick. Your done for today." Then they rushed away.

"What was that about?" Nick asked one of the kids who passed him. It was a handsome herculean type form Ares cabin, Elisabeth's old sparring buddy. He shrugged.

"Probably about Elisabeth. I heard from someone that she was seriously hurt." Nick's heart stopped.

"How-"

"The found a huge pool of blood, not from a stab wound or anything. A really nasty wound I recon. And a few of the campers fallowed a blood trail to the forest. We haven't seen her since last night." He arched an eyebrow at him. Like he knew something. "Wonder if she is ok... We still haven't found her. For all we know, she might be dead."

Dead... Nick's whole body gave out as he fell to his knees. 'I killed my girlfriend... I killed her.'

"But, as a personal friend of her's, I know where she would go." Wait, he's a friend of her's? When did she- "She would be in the grove. She always goes there for... reasons." Nick looked up at him.

"Reasons?"

"Yeah, usually to talk to herself or look at the stars when she can't sleep." The guy said, smiling a little. " She looks nice in moonlight."

This infuriated Nick. Not just because she snuck out, but that he was stalking her! She was Nick's! No one else-

"And don't get the wrong idea, dude." The son of Ares said, rolling his eyes. "I got a girl of my own. I just notice things. And besides," He helped Nick up top his feet and dusted him off. "what you do to get Punishment Training?"

"Uh?" The Ares kid looked at him in surprise.

"Oh don't tell me you didn't know!"

"Know what?" Then the Ares kid laughed outright, a big booming laugh that got under Nick's skin fast.

"Dude, your dense! Nico Di Angelo only does those workouts as Punishment Training! Something he picked up from some coach he had once. But you got double the norm man, so what did you do?"

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't done anything lately."

"Hu, I guess your just unlucky." The guy patted Nico on the back, giving him a water. "I'm Herc by the way, short for Hercules. Yeah, I know, what were my parents thinking?" Then he laughed again. "But hey, what can you do? Suck it up an deal! Besides, I like the name, makes me feel a little more heroic and daring. Ya know?"

Nick just stared at him in shock. This was the guy who went with Elisabeth and Alex on their first quest? This oversized sack of meat with bad humor? Who the hell picked the team? A blind guy?

"Well, anyway, I'll see you around Nicky." Thats when it hit Nick.

"Wait, weren't you that scrawny kid in Hermes Cabin four or five years ago? Paul, right?" He grinned a little more.

"Hell yeah! Then I hit puberty and started using my real name! Paul is my last name." Then he ran to catch up with the rest of the group who stood around Jason for instructions. But Nick could have sworn that he saw him look back in anger at him, Hercules and Jason both.

Did they both know that he hurt Elisabeth? Was she really gone? Why was no one looking for her? Then he thought of the reason why Nico and Percy ran off to talk... Had someone captured her in her weak state and is now using her as blackmail? Or were they trying to keep her away from him? Did they actually know he did it, or do they think it was Jason?... Nick held his head as he started getting a wicked bad headache from worrying and overworking himself.

What the hell is going on here?

"Are you completely positive that that was the same guy as who took Elisabeth?"

"Oh, I know for a fact that they were the same person."

Nico and Percy were in the safety of the lavender grove, speaking in hushed voices so if a nosy wood nymph or satyr decided to listen in, they wouldn't hear much. They were sitting in their usually spot by the stream, the blood stains on the grass standing out against the lushness of the rest of the grove. Nico tried not to look at it, the guilt in his chest as well as the vengeance in the pit of his stomach threatening to boil over.

"Are you sure you heard him right?"

"Yes." Percy said softly, holding Nico in his arms gently, like a child holding a teddy bear. "She is at the Saint Sinai Hospital. WE can get there by shadow travel easily." Nico frowned, causing Percy to scrunch his eyebrows in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"He seemed familiar to you, didn't he." Percy stiffened a little, and Nico knew his answer. "Who do you think it was?"

Percy sighed in frustration, his head resting on Nico's shoulder a little as he grumbled out his thoughts. "I think it's Henry, but the voice is different. So maybe I am wrong."

"That might actually explain a lot." Percy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why?"

"He is always there for her, and he gets to our house unnaturally fast for the three to four blocks he 'runs' to get there. This would explain that. And it would explain how he was able to pass the boarder." Percy's eyes widened.

"Then you really think-"

"I think he might, doesn't mean he is." Nico sighed in frustration. "Repeat to me the phrase you heard the thing saying again before you were discovered."

"Shouldn't we- "

"Percy, this is important." Percy sighs and repeats what he heard.

"Three unborn will raise the sea

One to protect and two to flee.

Darkness consumes in a fiery haze

Light and gray will go unfazed.

Thats all I heard." Nico groaned a little. "What?"

"He spoke to Rachel."

"How do you know that?"

"Think about it, Seaweed Brain." Nico groaned as he leaned back a little, looking up at the sky. "It two parts, both parts rhyme, and he didn't get to finish the rest of it. And how long so you think he was left alone in the basement? Ten, fifteen minutes tops? That is enough time to talk to our resident Oracle and get back down to the basement. Especially if it can shadow travel." Percy groaned.

"We have just landed in some big shit again, haven't we?" Nico closed his eyes and sighed in irritation. Percy was just seeing that now? Oh gods.

"Yep."

"Can we go find our daughter now?" Percy pestered, standing up in irritation, offering a hand to Nico. Nico grinned a little and took it, letting his lover pull him up and into his chest.

"Let's go."


	13. Chapter 13

Elisabeth sat up in bed and started picking at her spaghetti that the nurse had brought her. She would like to say it was out of the goodness of her heart, but it was mostly because of Toby charming her into doing it. Much to Tina's jealousy, which was quite fun to watch. Especially on the drugs that were starting to wear off. They still had a ripe kick to them though.

"Are you trying to lay her?!"

"No! I wasn't! I swear!"

"Swear on your soul! Oh wait, you don't have one!"

"This coming from a girl who made love to a god!"

"I didn't sell my soul asshole!"

"And I sold my soul to you!"

"Guys!" Both sides of the arguing couple stopped and stared at the doorway. Henry was there, paler than usual, with his hands trembling. He handed the cloak and mask to Toby, his eyes looking around scared. "Hurry and hide these, now."

Toby nodded, grabbing Tina's hand as they made their escape, leaving the other two alone.

"Henry?" Elisabeth sat up groggily, moving the food to the side and trying to get out of bed. He rushed to her side and gently moved her back in. She had never seen him like this, not after Nick hit him, not even after their first quest. Maybe it was the drugs, making her see things that weren't there. "Henry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing... Nothing is wrong."

"You lying to me." She cupped his cheek gently and pulled herself up, their noses brushing a little as she readjusted herself. Her mind was still foggy, so she didn't even notice any unusualness wit it. "Please... Tell me what's wrong." Henry fought the urge to kiss her, holding her hand gently as he leaned back.

"I need to... I can't tell you." Elisabeth's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth opening to ask questions but he put a finger to her lips. They were so soft... "I don't know when I will be back... Will you promise me something?" She nodded slowly, the haze still in effect in her mind. God love the hospital drugs.

"Anything."

"Don't... Don't get back together with him. I can't see you get hurt again... I don't know if I will be able to save you next time." She nodded slowly. "Elisabeth..."

"Yes?" She said breathlessly, squeezing his hand just a little. Their noses were still touching, and neither of them wanted to move away.

"I... I..." He wanted so badly to bridge the gap, to kiss those soft, naturally red lips, but he couldn't. Everything just needed to fall into place first. His feelings for her he understood, but his understanding of what he had to do wasn't their. Neither was his need to fallow Aphrodite's instructions. " Please... Wait for me..."

"Don't be too long..." She said in a disappointed tone, her eyes trailing down to their intertwined hands. He smiled a little and pulled away.

'What is going on? Why am I so disappointed?' She thought, something deep in her chest aching a little. Did she want him to kiss her? 'No. No I shouldn't... I couldn't... I can't... Can I?' She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something to him, anything to him. Her eyes flew open when she felt the feeling of his hand slip out of hers. And before she would stop him, he was gone. Disappearing into thin air.

Leaving her all alone.

Toby dragged Tina out of the room as fast as he could. He knew that Henry had told Nico where their daughter was. It was only a matter of time before they came for her.

"Where the hell are we going?!" Tina snapped, trying to fight her boyfriend's grip on her arm as they made it to the parking area. "I need to stay with Elisa-"

"Baby, her parents will be here any minute!" Toby snapped, throwing the cape and mask in the back seat and opening the front door for her. "We got to get out of here or else we will have to fight for your survival. Last time I checked, Percy killed Medusa. And I am not letting him kill you!"

Tina go into the passenger seat, smiling a little bit as Toby ignited the engine and floored it out of the parking lot. Finally, the Jamaican mortal looked over at his girl, arching an eyebrow when he saw her smiling. "What?"

"You didn't want Percy to kill me."

"Yeah..." He said slowly, a smile starting to form on his lips. "Why does that make you smile?"

"No one ever cared if I died when they knew I was a monse-"

"Your not a monster." Toby snapped, his tone a little more on the angry side. "You weren't a monster when I met you, and you aren't a monster now. You didn't choose to be what you are, and I love you anyway." Toby looked away from the road and smiled gently, calming down a little. Tina was staring at his knuckles that were turning white on the steering wheel, gripping it with anger still. "Tina... I... I'm sorry."

"Nope." She said sweetly. "I like it when you remind me I'm not a monster. It makes me feel like I'm human." She giggled a little and got comfy in her seat. "So, what's the plan?"

"The plan is we get a motel near the hotel, wait a while, call up Elisabeth using an Iris message, pray to the gods her dads aren't there, and then if they aren't we go back and spend the night protecting her."

"I thought you said that place was neutral ground!"

"I'm a mortal." Toby said in a sassy voice. "I don't know what I'm saying half the time."

"True." There was silence for a little while, the radio softly playing today's newest pop hits on KISS 108. Tina looked over at Toby, a sly smile on her face. He tried to ignore it as best he could, but the song was too slow. Finally he looked over at her.

"What?"

"So does this mean we get to have fun?" Toby rolled his eyes.

"Are you kidding me? You are so a sex driven woman."

"Hey, don't blame a girl for liking it!" She snapped back jokingly. "And besides, you get the most fun out of it and you know it."

"Oh yeah, like those snake love bites and caresses. Girl, you have no idea how much they turn me on."

"Excuse me, can we keep it PG?" Both of them snapped their heads to the back seat, where Henry was sitting with a disgusted look on his face. "I'm still a virgin and I'm still young. I don't need to know about this."

"YOUR FLIPPIN' EIGHTEEN!" Tina screeched, her face blushing completely red and her snakes hissing under her hat. "AND NEXT TIME WARN US WHEN YOU'LL BE POPPING IN!"

"Oh yeah, like you weren't going to talk about your sexy time, pullover, do something dirty for a at least fifteen minutes and get a hotel room to finish it off." Henry rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what their plan was even though he had just 'popped in'. They had corrupted him so much from the innocent little fifteen year old they had once knew.

"Not exactly..." Toby tried to say, blushing equally as red even though it wasn't noticeable. Henry gave them a look. "Anyway, why the hell are you here in the back of my car?" Toby said, changing the subject before it got even more awkward.

"I need you guys to do me a favor." Tina looked at Toby, and Toby looked at Tina. They both looked Henry with serious expressions on their faces and nodded.

"What you need kid?" Tina asked. Henry grinned a little, he just loved how they just were all for this. That's true friendship right there.

"Toby, do you still have that red dress shirt and tux."'

"Yeah, but it wont fit you."

"Then Tina." He gulped a little, fear plain on his face. "I guess we have to... go shopping." Tina squealed with excitement.

"HELL YES!" Henry and Toby groaned in unison.

"What have I done?"

Nico walked into the hospital with Percy in tow, heading right for the man at the reception desk. "Hello, do you have an Elisabeth Walker here? She should have had sugary last night?" Them man looked over the papers and nodded.

"Do you wish to visit her?"

"Yes, yes we would." Percy said calmly, holding Nico's hand. The man smiled and led them to a room on the second floor of the place. "Thank you very much sir." The man nods, leaving them to the room.

Nico opened the door gently, peering in to make sure this was the right room. He was his little girl sitting in a bed eating the rest of her meal, and her rushed in. "Elisabeth!"

She jumped out of her skin and halfway choked on her food. Her eyes went as wide as the plate she had on her lap. "Daddy?!" She said in surprise. Nico grinned and stepped into the room, looking around for anyone else that should not be in there with her. "Dads, why are you two here?"

"Well, why wouldn't we?" Percy said, taking the chair next to her, smiling a little. "Are we not allowed to be scared for our own daughter?" Nico looked at the clipboard at the end of her bed, reading over the doctor's papers with a concerned look on his face.

"But..." Elisabeth's eyes widened a little as she whispered to herself. "He talked to you?"

Percy arched an eyebrow, but before he could ask who she meant, Nico interjected. "Elisabeth, why does it say that you have mettle in your bones?" She looked at him like he was crazy.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, setting her finished food to the side and looked at him with confusion. "The doctors said I was fine... But that they need to do a few more X-Rays."

"Well," Nico said, showing her the clipboard. "It says that you have weird strands of mettle in your ribs. And it seems not to be from your attack."

"I was attacked?!" Nico and Percy looked at her, this time it was their turn to look at her like she was crazy. She looked between them with fear in her eyes. "Who attacked me?! I don't know what you are talking about!"

"Jason left you alone after your dinner training last night." Nico said slowly, sitting next to her on the bed, concern in his eyes. "Don't you remember anything?"

"I-I-I remember Nick was there... but everything goes fuzzy after that." Elisabeth said, holding her head in her hands as a massive headache hit her right between the eyes. Percy sighed, taking her hands away from her face and holding them in his hands.

"Need some headache meds?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Ok, sweetie." Percy said, getting up and heading for the door. "I'll be right back." And he left Nico and Elisabeth alone in the room together.

Nico wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning her against him. "You know you can tell me anything, Liz, don't you?" She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "Please, tell me what happened?" Nico said, pleading with her. She let a single tear escape her eyes before she looked at him.

"Jason told me to dump him... I should have a long time ago." Nico nodded slowly, not understanding how this fit into the conversation they were having. "And after Jason left, I was getting a sip of water before I headed to the cabin to call it a night, when Nick came out of no where! He was accusing me of something, I didn't understand what he was talking about. Then he started talking about me and Jason being a thing, which is a horrible thing and gross, and when I tried to reason with him he threw me to the ground and kicked me in th ehead... I really don't know what happened next. I really don't." She sighed, her heart aching a little from the realization that she had made a mistake with Nick. "He's going to try making up with me, saying some stupid things isn't he."

Nico held her shoulders gently and kissed her forehead. "I'm putting him through my Punishment Training times two. Don't worry, you will have all the time in the world for a few weeks." She laughed a little and leaned her head on his shoulder, sniffling a little. "Was there anything else you remember? Something blurry?"

"Yeah..." She said slowly, looking up at him as she pulled away. "I... I remember feeling safe... Someone picking me up and telling me I was going to be ok..." She smiled a little and touched her lips. "I... I don't know who he is... but I really wish I could thank him. He saved my life." She smiled at Nico, her cheeks blushing a rosy color. "Did he tell you were I was?"

"Yes." Nico said, not liking the way she was talking about this person. "Honey, do you think this could be Henry?" He watched her eyes widen and her face pail.

"Why would you say that!?" She said, facing him fully and looking like she was just kicked in the ribs again. "If it was him, then why wouldn't he come to camp with me?!" She was always a very good actress,and the little masquerade was enough to make Nico believe her.

"Ok, ok, I was just asking." Nico said, rubbing the back of his head in annoyance. "We are just trying to figure out who this masked guy is. He can shadow travel so he could be a son of my father. I don't want him to fall too far into the darkness like I did, you know?" Nico tried to explain, not meeting his adopted daughter's eyes. She giggled a little and nodded.

"I understand."

"So, remind me again why we are doing this?"

Henry rolled his eyes as he slipped on a crisp black dress jacket over a blood red dress shirt. Tina was making him try on everything in the tux store that she deemed worthy and matched his unusually pail skin while Toby was sitting in the dressing room with him for moral support.

"I can't tell you, Toby. If I do, you might tell Elisabeth and she will be in trouble."

"Uh hu." He said, leaning back in the leather chair as it squeaked under him. "And the tux is for what exactly?"

"The something I can't tell you about." Toby sighed and rolled his shoulders slowly, like he was trying to keep his nerves from breaking. "I know, you hate this, but what can I do?"

"Let her god damn pay for it." The mortal muttered. Henry rolled his eyes and untucked the shirt from the dress pants and let them hang out. "You know what that is missing?"

"Chains? Skull pin? A burned black tie?" Henry said as he turned in the mirror, looking at himself with quizzical eyes. "No sleeves on the jacket and the seams just hanging?"

"All those are good," Toby said, nodding his head in approval. "But I was thinking more of you getting snake bites or a nose ring." Henry looked at him in disgust, his nose scrunching up a little bit. "Hey, just saying."

"Dude, no way. You already talked me into a tattoo, I'm not letting you talk me into piercings."

Tina poked her head in, her green serpentine eyes glittering with glee behind her blind glasses and her lips parted in a cruel smile. "Did someone say piercing? Cause if we are doing that, I suggest you try a nose stud. Maybe-" She gasped and squealed in delight. "WE CAN GET YOU ANGEL BITES!"

"No way in Tartarus am I getting angel bites!" Henry snapped, turning to face her with an angry look in his eyes. She cocked her hip to one side and glared at him, her snakes hissing lowly under her hat.

"And why the hell not?"

"Cause I like my lips the way they are, they are painful as hell, and-" he stopped, shaking his head slowly like he didn't want to talk about it. "Never mind."

"Your afraid of needles, hu?" Henry glared at Toby, who was enjoying watching them fight at the moment. "Or are you just afraid that Elisabeth wouldn't like you like that?" Henry blushed a handsome shade of pink before trying to hide his face with his blond hair.

"Shut up." He said in a low voice, which a certain gorgon found to be the most adorable thing in the world, as he started digging his hands into his pockets. To keep his mind off of the two staring at him, he began to ponder re-dye the tips of his blond hair red again because of how faded they had become. "I'm not afraid of them."

"Your reaction speaks different."

"Fuck you."

"No thanks!" Toby joked, raising his hands in the air. "I think your confusing me with Elisabeth!" Henry's face went beat red and he sputtered a little, his eyes wide and his body stiffening as he realized what his friend had meant.

"Oh, Toby." Tina said, draping her arms around Henry's shoulders and hugging him from behind. "Don't break him! Look, he's redder than his shirt thanks to you."

"Glad to be of assistance."

"Anyway," Tina turned Henry around and stared at him as he started calming down, fidgeting a little due to his ADHD. "You know... I could get you a eyebrow piercing, and knock you out so you-"

"Please, I like myself the way I am. I don't need to add to myself." He said, shuffling his feet a little. Tina sighed.

"Fine!" She said in an exasperated tone. "Now change out of these so I can p-"

"I got money!" Henry said quickly, holding up his wallet. "I can pay for this. Your already doing a lot for me!"

Tina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Just hurry up." Henry hurried into his stall and started slipping out of everything so they could go after he paid for it all. "Still can't get a reason out of him?" Tina asked, sitting in Toby's lap and leaning against him. Toby nodded, his expression grim as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

"Still nothing." She sighs, groaning a little in frustration. "Don't worry, we will figure this out." Toby cooed.

"I know, but I have a feeling it's going to be for some stupid reason." Toby arched an eyebrow a little, lowering his voice to a whisper as he nipped her ear a little.

"And that is what thought, my dear?" She shivered a little, grinning serpent like from ear to ear.

"I think he's doing this for Project Persephone." She whispered back. He frowned and shook his head.

"No way. This has to be for something different. I'm placing my bet on he's going to do something stupid."

"How much?"

"Thirteen Drachmas."

"Done."

"Are you to betting again?" Henry said in an annoyed tone as he walked out of the stall.

"Yes." They said at the same time, smiling innocently at Henry like they were two small children who didn't want to get yelled at by their dad, which if funny to Henry cause he's actually you younger than them.

"Whatever." He grumbled as he passed them. "I'm buying the suit and shirt. Come on, you're going to scare people if you keep acting like a couple."

"But we are!" Tina teased, earning a groan from the younger of the group. "Oh, hush! As soon as this plan sets in motion, you'll have had sex and a girlfriend for the first time in your life!" Henry stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around.

"WHAT?!"

"Henry, you didn't seriously agree to this without knowing the full story... Did you?" Toby said slowly as they reached the checkout.

"I-I knew Hades kidnapped her and she lost her flowers... But there was now 'Sex' involved at all!" Toby groaned and ran his fingers through his dreadlocks.

"Deflowering is a poetic way of saying she was taken." Toby tried to explain.

"I get that she was taken, but he didn't have sex with her!" Henry snapped, paying the cashier who was listening in.

"Actually," the man behind the counter stated. "deflowering can mean two things, that she dropped her flowers AND that she was taken, which in this way means she was raped, not kidnapped." Henry stared between the three of them, his face turning red like he had just eaten spicy jalapeño peppers.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Henry screeched, grabbing Tina by the shoulders, shaking her back and fourth. "NO WAY IN UNDERWORLD HELL AM I RAPING HER!"

"Dude, you don't have to if you don't want to." Toby said, leading them out of the store as the guy who rang them up started laughing like he had just heard the funniest thing he has heard all day. Probably thought they were doing a rendition of if for something. "You just have to steal her, and make love with her latter when she gets over being stolen."

"But what if she gets mad at me-"

"She is too forgiving for that. Stop worrying!" Tina said as they made it to the car. "But seriously, if this is for that, I could make it so British punk that you will have girl's fawning over you like you were really British!" Henry sighed, laughing a little without humor.

"No... Can you guys take care of Elisabeth while I'm gone?" They looked at him in confusion as he slipped into the car still holding his bags.

"Yeah..." Tina said slowly as she slid into the passenger seat of the car. "But why wouldn't you be there? She needs all of us with her right now."

Henry looked at his hands, shaking his head. "I... I need to do something. I shouldn't have even asked you guys for help with this..."

"What are you talking about?" Tina said, starting to get really fearful for him and it was showing on her face. "Henry, what did you get into that you can't tell your closest friends?"

Henry stayed silent, his eyes never meeting either of theirs as Toby got into the driver seat. He really hated not telling them, but if he did they would end up messing and meddling, and that usually ended with someone almost dead. He didn't want anyone dead, not because of this. The prophesy was still eating at him, Rachel's words running through his thoughts like a freight train.

Three unborn will raise the sea

One to protect and two to flee.

Darkness consumes in a fiery haze

Light and gray will go unfazed.

Truths be uncovered, hearts to break

A soul will rest in darkness' wake.

What did it all mean? Was there something no one was telling him? Was he and Elisabeth part of something bigger than just this whole Greek rendition of Romeo and Juliet? He snapped out of his thoughts when Toby slammed the car door and growled in annoyance. Toby started the engine and turned to look at him.

"Ok, this is starting to piss me off. You are telling us what this is all about and you are telling us on the drive." Henry sighed, nodding slowly with a defeated look in his eyes. No getting out of this now.

"It's going to be a long story, though." He felt a slap on the back of his head and he yelped. Tina was giving him an 'are you serious?' look on her face as she retracted her and smirked at him.

"Then make it quick."

It was well past ten o'clock when her fathers left her alone in the hospital room to go back to camp. They were still trying to fish for any information of her 'masked savior' or why Nick did what he did. It was horrible, having to lie to the, over and over. It was digging a hole in her very heart doing this, to the two people who were so trusting and truthful to her. Sure, she got annoyed with Percy and Nico, but that didn't mean she hated them. The truth was she knew exactly why Nick had hurt her: he was jealous of Jason, and she knew Henry was her masked rescuer. But she couldn't tell them that! If they found out he was a son of Hades, Nico would get possessive and Nick would start using him... Just like he was doing to her. And if they knew Nick was being possessive, they wouldn't let her out of their sight, or ever let her near any man again! This lying was going against her very nature, and she was hating ever bit of it.

But her mind started to wander as she looked up at the ceiling of the quiet room, the moonlight having shadows dance across the walls like spirits. She wondered about a lot of things, most of them drug induced thoughts as they started to kick in. Like, how many stars are in the sky right now? Or what if a pineapple could go farther than an apple if you use a catapult? How does that work? Then they started turning to a different destination all together.

'What would it be like to kiss Henry?'

'What would happen if he had kissed me?'

'Does he really like me? Or is it all out of pity?'

Her eyes started to water with tears. She hated being alone like this, she always had thoughts like this. The drugs weren't helping either. They were making it worse.

'What if no one really liked me?'

'What if Percy and Nico had only adopted me because I was so pathetic?'

'Well, no one is talking to me anymore at camp...' She started crying a little more. 'Tina's only putting up with me cause I spared her life... Toby is an actor, he probably doesn't care either... Nick only likes me for...' Her thoughts trailed off as she started to realize she wasn't staring at the ceiling anymore.

She was staring at stars. Billions and billions of stars in a bright night sky. The wind was warmer than usual, and it felt so wonderful on her skin. Like butterfly kisses, or sweet cascade of warm water from a well needed shower. She swiveled around, her eyes growing wide as she looked at the landscape. It was amazing, so many trees and green, it seemed to stretched on forever and ever. she was standing in the center of a large grove of wildflowers, roses, lavenders, lilacs, daisies, and other beautiful plants that grew within it, the world seeming so... Different.

"Persephone..." A soft, yet husky voice whispered in her ear. Elisabeth eye's widened when she felt two arms wrap around her waist, pulling her into an firm, iron plated chest. "I did not expect you to come tonight."

"I couldn't help it." A voice whispered back, but it wasn't her's. Elisabeth blinked her amber eyes in confusion, and suddenly she was watching from the sidelines like it was a movie playing before her.

A man with long greasy black hair and red brown eyes held a woman in his arms, his pail skin reflecting the moonlight giving him a unearthly glow. He was handsome, for a man of his hight and scrawny build, dressed in dark Greek armor and black leather saddles. Around his feet, the grass withered a little, like it was having its life drained from it. But what caught her attention was the woman he was holding.

She was beautiful, with flowing brown/black hair braided in a halo around her head with gold and silver, healthy tan skin, glowing green eyes, and draped in a sand colored toga that hung off her frame nicely, decorated with flowers and gold embroideries.

"Persephone, why do you tease me so?" The man, Elisabeth assumed that he was Hades, said as he kisses her neck gently. He seemed so... Unlike the stories his fathers had told him. He looked lonely, very, very lonely. "Please, just tell your mother to let you find your own path. That woman hates me to her withered bones, and she would never let me love you."

"Calm, my love, be still." The goddess cooed, stroking his whiskery face gently with a delicate hand. "My mother will not let me speak, so how can she listen to one such as I? She wishes for me to fallow in her footsteps, not break away and love the man she loathes..." She sighed and leaned into him gently, his hand holding her waist as the other takes her hand in his, kissing it lightly. "Oh, Hades, my love, how will we be together?"

"I fear you will have to wait, my goddess." He whispered, a smirk crossing his face as he turns her around so she would face him, leaning in closer to her face so their lips almost brushed. "My sweet love, how much do you desire our being together?"

"I would give up everything." She breathed, her eyes half lidded and her cheeks blushing. Hades stroked her face gently, causing her to shiver slightly at his deathly cold touch.

"Then I must ask of you a favor."

"Name it." She breathed, leaning a little more forward to capture his lips in hers. But he was sneaky and leaned away a little, chuckling when she glared at him.

"There will be time for that later. I need you to go flower picking in the morning light of this next morn. Do you think you can?"

"I can, Hades, but why?" He chuckled darkly and captured her chin in his fingers, tilting her head a little as he leaned in closer.

"It will be a surprise." And their lips met in a forebiden kiss of love and secrecy.

Elisabeth's eyes snapped open, the glittering moonlight flowing into the room still, only the shadows they had made were changed and undone as the position of the moon change in the midnight sky. "Damn... That was a crazy dream." Elisabeth muttered. She must have fallen asleep while in the middle of her depressing thoughts. "Gods love morphine..."

She sighed as she looked at the time. 3:45 AM. About the normal time she would wake up. But, without a book, a notepad, or a sketchbook, there was nothing for her to do except drift back into her own head. But that place was depressing as fuck, as she has learned from the past, so that wasn't going to be an option. She sighed, getting out of bed and going to the window. It wasn't a new moon just yet, but the sliver of moon still showing illuminated the garden below, the white roses reflecting moonbeams in the night causing an eerie glow to envelop them.

She sighed, looking out into the sleeping world with tired eyes, her mind reeling dorm the dream. What did it mean? Was Persephone really in love with Hades that she would do anything for him? An in that case, was it still considered rape if she wanted him to cause they loved each other?

"Then again," she said to no on in particular. "She did zap him with Zeus' lighting bolt and complained about being down there. "Maybe people fall out of love when they live forever." She muttered, opening the window to let in the cool night air. "Oh well, It's just a dream."

She mentally kicked herself in the shins for saying that. She knew better. Demigods don't get dreams when they sleep. It's either some futuristic scene they are in, or a past experience that will serve them well in their quest to come. 'Does that mean I'm going on a quest soon?' She chuckled lightly to herself as she watched a bat fly by her window.

"The world will never know." She stopped a moment, staring out at the moon and scenery, feeling lonely without anyone there to be with her. No one to talk to... She sighed and layed her head on the window's cold class. "Maybe its better I don't talk to anyone..." Then she realized she had one person, actually three people, she could still talk to at camp. But she needed someone she can spill her secrets to, someone who already knew most of her secrets already.

Going over to the bedside table, she started searching for something to help her, something to make a rainbow with. Finnaly she found s spritz bottle in the bathroom and went back to the window and spritsed the vapor into the air.

"Please state name and destination." The soft, yet mechanical sounding voice said on the other end.

"Hercules Paul, Camp Half Blood, Half-Blood Hill, Farm Road 3.141, Long Island, New York 11954." Elisabeth said slowly, trying to rack her aching head for all the information needed for this. She was really hoping this worked.

She waited for a while, keeping the rainbow alive with fresh vapors, when suddenly the colors swirled into shapes and Hercules' face was in the image. He was in the forest for some reason. "Hey!" He said, grinning ear to ear. "Your alive!"

"For now." Elisabeth joked, laughing a little. She always enjoyed Hercules' company, he just had that way with people. He wasn't a rude or arogant egotistic maniac like most of the other Ares kids. He was actually quiet the gentleman, and a very good secret keeper. No one would know this, however, unless they went on the mission with him. And since no one really looked his way till now, that was only her and Alex. Probably ws still them. "What are you doing in a forest?"

"Well, I was roped in by Nick to help look for you. Sorry I didn't answer right away, thought I might wait till he went off in a seperate direction." His eyes darkened as he saw her flinch at Nick's name. "Liz, you ok?"

"No." She said, looking like she was about to cry. "I-I'm not." Hercules' face turned deadly serious and he looked around his forest clearing before shrining the image on his end. His voice was lowered into a dark whisper.

"Tell me everything."

"DONE!" Tina screamed as she held up her final work of fabric.

"Finally!" Toby muttered, already half asleep on the motel bed.

Henry sat up, eagerly slipping on the hand modified jacket Tina had finally finished to complete his ensemble. They had found the skull pins, died the tips of his hair red again while she was sewing, they had charred the fabric of a old black tie so it would show through the holes and ash the scarlet colored dress shirt underneath, Toby had managed to modify a fedora so that it was more of a gothic punk while Tina took off the sleeves of both the dress shirt and the jacket. Honestly, the whole thing looked amazing, from the clean stitching of the dress shirt, to the added chain belts to the pants. Henry slipped the jacket on over everything and smiled proudly at how well it had turned out. Though, he would have loved no baby pins to be on the jacket sleeves, or lack their of in this case, he dared not to say anything to make Tina mad.

"AAAWWWWW! You look so PUNKIN' AWESOME!" Tina said in a hyper voice, going for another sip of her third extra expresso shot coffee she had gotten from the Starbucks down the street. "Your step mom is going to think your so handsome!"

"Sharp." Toby said groggily as he sat up in the bed. "Now hurry their so the sooner we get to the bottom of this mystery, the sooner we can all not have to worry if a goddess of love is planning something stupid."

Henry laughed nervously, trying not to sound like he was completely terrified of the thought of doing this. "I wi-"

"WAIT!" Tina screeched, stopping him dead in his tracks. "Before you go, repeat the prophesy! I'll write it down so we don't forget!"

"Dear," Toby said as he plopped back into the comfortable embrace of the feather mattress. "We already did that."

"We are doing it again then!" She snapped, taking a piece of paper and pencil out of her pocket and readying herself. "Aaaaannnnndddd, go!" Henry sighed tiredly and rolled his eyes.

"Three unborn will raise the sea

One to protect and two to flee.

Darkness consumes in a fiery haze

Light and gray will go unfazed.

Truths be uncovered, hearts to break

A soul will rest in darkness' wake."

Toby sighed as he rolled on the bed, trying to get comfortable. "It basically means three dead people will raise a sea so that two of them will ditch out of fear or something. Darkness, you, will get in an angry rage, and the other two people your with will not give a shit. Then, all the secrets we are hiding will be revealed, you'll break Elisabeth's heart, and you will die of depression from her rejection of you." Henry frowned.

"Oh stop being a doom caster!" Tina said, jumping on the bed on top of him and snuggling close. "You get so negative when your tired."

"I have a right to be!" Toby snapped at her, shaking a fist in the air and pointing to the alarm clock. "It's four in the fucking morning! I'm pissed! I need sleep!"

"Ok ok." Henry said, backing into the shadows. "Then I'll see you when I get back. Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Tina said cheerfully, mostly the coffee talking.

"Don't get eaten by Fluffy the three headed dog!" Toby snapped, closing his eye to sleep.

"That's in Harry Potter, Toby." Henry said in a joking tone, only to get answered by a middle finger.

"Fuck you."

"No thanks, your girlfriends right there though." Henry fired back, the shadows drifting in around him gently as he prepared to leave.

"I'll fuck her tomorrow." Henry made a face of pure disgust and gagged a little.

"Gross!"

"Do I look like I give two shots at the moment?"

"Not at all." Henry said as he waved goodbye. "See you laters!" He called as he disappeared from the expensive hotel room completely.

"Finally." Toby said as he snuggled up to Tina. " I can sleep."

"Uh, your forgetting something."

"Hu?" Toby said groggily, opening one eye to look at her. "What?"

"You owe me thirteen drachmas." Toby bolted up into a seated position and roared in anger, making him sound like a lion for a moment.

"FUCKING SHIT!" Tina laughed, hugging him around the waist and dragging him back into a laying position.

"Sorry." She falsely apologized as she snuggled up. "Maybe next time."

"Yeah, and you will owe me."

"In your dreams."

"Damn strait, woman." He said as he held her close to him, his eyes shutting slowly. "Damn fucking strait."

Then they both crashed and fell into blissful sleep.

Henry stepped out of the dark corridor of shadows and into an unfamiliar place. It was demented and scary, if you were a normal human being. But to Henry, this was like dying and going to heaven, the black rock castle creepily casting shadows everywhere the firelight couldn't reach, the screams of punished would echoing through the place like whispering winds through a deserted house, the amazing decor and statues all around. He had ended up in a small pavilion area, the smog not as thick as other places he has been to while he was sneaking around here. But this place he had never seen before.

It was a very dreary garden area, with a black rock fountain formed the middle of it, it's jagged edges and oozing lava instead of water making it glow evilly in the already creepy pavilion. There were charred plants and dried, dead flowers all around, the soil here unable to sustain their life any longer than five minutes before they died of lack of sun and water. There were a few old Greek and Roman statues scattered about, most either made of the black rock that was common to this place or charred white marble and ivory, as well as some nice benches located in random places around the small garden area. Henry nodded in approval.

"I really need to get this guy's decorator."

"Maybe you just need some better taste." Henry turned around and smiled a little. Sitting under a gazebo was Persephone, looking as beautiful as ever in her punk leather style. Her dress was floor length in the back and above the knees in the front, the corset top showing off as much as it could of her well endowed body. Her hair was styled in a bun on the top of her head, stray short strands of hair falling in curls round her slender shoulders. In her dainty hands, she was playing a black iron harp, with rusted frames and weathered strings.

"Nice to finally meet you, Persephone." Henry greeted, bowing slightly out of respect.

"Nice to meet you too, stranger." She said, looking him up an down before squinting at him. "You look familiar... Have we met before?"

"No, ma'am." He said, fidgeting a little. "I-I'm Henry. Henry Plutaina." He saw a spark of recognition flash in her eyes before smiling a little. Then it fell into a frown.

" So you finally came back." She said in a bitter tone as she started playing again. "I would have chosen a better name for myself than Henry. How was life with the Plutainas? Miserable I would presume."

"Uuuhhhh..." Henry looked at her with confusion written all over his face. "I don't understand what your talking about."

She arched a thin eyebrow and sighed. "How long has it been since you were here, four years? Time certainly does fly up on the surface world."

"Ma'am" he said, choosing his words carefully. "what are you talking about?"

"You remember, don't you?"

"Remember what?" Henry said in an annoyed tone. This head game she was playing with him was getting on his nerves. "Aphrodite told me to come down here and ask for your story."

Persephone's eyes softened a little and she sighed. "And why would you think I would tell you?"

"Your my step mom." He said plainly. "I would think you would want to share your story with your mortal son." She blinked and stared at him for a few minutes, utter shock on her face. Then it was replaced by sudden sorrow.

"Oh, you poor dear. Who told you I was your step mother?" Henry looked at her like she was loony.

"I can shadow travel." He said slowly. "So I'm a son of Hades... Making you my step mom..." She shook her head back and forth, a sad look on her face.

"No."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, her hazel black eyes glittering like opals in the fire light of the dead garden. "you're not Hades' son."

"Then who's can I be?!" Henry said in surprise. This wasn't what he came here to find out. He needed to switch this back before this all turned bad. "And your changing the subject!"

"Henry," she said, standing up and walking towards him, placing a hand in his shoulder gently. "have you notice how different you are from the other demigods? How your powers are more... Enhanced?"

"Yeah, but that's got nothing to do with-"

"Have you noticed you don't act like the other Demigods your age?" She questioned, cutting him off before he had the chance to say the rest of the sentance. "Or how no monsters have actually hunted you?" Henry paused a moment, thinking over all this.

"Now that you mention it... Yeah." Henry said slowly, his eyes widening a little. "But-"

"I'll tell you my story after you understand what you are." Henry arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"What I am?" He asked, holding his head that was starting to get a wicked bad headache. "What do you mean? I'm human."

"No." The goddess said as she sat down with her harp, patting the open space next to her. "Sit, let me enlighten you."

He did so reluctantly, whipping some sweat off of his forehead and thanking Tina for picking the lightest fabric for his cloths. "I'm so confused, what are you talking about, Persephone? What do you mean that I need to know what I am?" Persephone sighed sadly and started playing the harp again, her hands weaving a sarrowful tune that held within it something unsaid.

"You're not human, Henry. You never were."


	14. Chapter 14

"So, let me try and understand this, and feel free to stop me when I'm wrong." Henry said as he got up from his seat. He was taking all this surprisingly well. He knew he wasn't like other people, or demigods for that matter, but not human at all? What the hell was he then?! He started pacing in front of the goddess out of frustration. "I'm not human."

"Yes."

"And you created me about eighteen years ago."

"Thirteen actually, and not me." Persephone said as she brushed ash off her shoulder.

"And this was because something bad was happening?"

"Well, more like we were afraid something bad would happen." The goddess said as she moved the rusted harp to the side and placed her hands in her lap.

"What do you mean?" Henry said as he stopped in his tracks in front of a skeleton garden ornament. It was creepy as hell, but he ignored it.

Persephone stood up, taking his arm and walking with him as she wove her words together to create the tale."Many years ago, there was a prophasy that fortold the fall of Olympus at the hands of a child of Zues, Hades, or Poseidon. It was said that either the child would save us from destruction, or join with Kronos and destroy us all. Out of fear, everyone agreed that the three gods would not make love with a mortal ever again, and as you can see, Poseidon and Zues couldn't keep to that." Persephony sighed a little, looking up at the eerie red clouds of fire and smoke. "Hades was the only one who fallowed the rule set out to prevent the prophasy. But, as the ace up his sleeve, he had his only two children taken into the Lottas Cassino where they never aged, so that he could be apart of the prohasy as well.

Now, as time passed, Hades became a little sceptic of this upcoming catastraphy. He sought guadance from his mother Rhiea, begging her for a way to save Olympus even though he despised them. She was the one who gave him the secret to where he could find the two Titans who had created man to begin with: Prometheus and Epimetheus. As you should know, Chiron had died for Prometheus and Herculease had unchained him and killed the dreaded eagle, but after that, no one knows what became of him. And no one knew what became of Epimetheus after he was shamed for letting Pandora stay on earth and open the vase. Pandora's box, so it was called.

Hades then sent one of his dead fallowers to find Prometheus and another to find Epimetheus. Unfortunatly, we could not find Epimetheus, the one who breathed life into man. So Hades begged his mother to help him one last time. She saw no problem with this, for he was doing this from the goodness that has been hidden in his heart for far too long. She spoke to Hepheastus, asking him to make three seperate bases for the creations. He made them from living mettle, something so rare that only someone as old as Rhiea would ever know about, much less be able to harvest it.

For hours and hours he worked, making them all just right. And when the servent came back with Prometheus, Hades offered him any two things he wanted in exchange for creating three beings for him.

But, Prometheus asked him for the two things he did not know how to get. 'Bring me a small peice of Zues' lightning bolt, and the jewel from Poseidon's trietent.' But, while Hades was planning on retreiving these things, he stole a small flake off of Hades' invisability helmet. Using this, he created one test child to see if his idea would work. In secret, Prometheus made the child from the palest and most durable clay he could find and snuck it to Rhiea to breath life into it."

"Did it work?" Henry asked, his eyes glowing a little in interest. This story was so unearthly and amazing that he could not resist asking. She smiled at him and took off his hat, ruffling his pure blond hair.

"Your right here, so what do you thing?" Henry's eyes widened as he did a double take.

"Wait, I was the test subject?!" Persepone nodded and continued with her story.

"Then, when Zues' lighting bolt was stolen, Hades kidnapped Percy Jackson's mother to lure him down here so he could get a peice of the bolt. It was easy, but he didn't get it, I did. The three children trusted me more than him, so when I got the chance, I plucked a small bolt of lightning off while they weren't looking. Grover stayed behind and I almost foregot about it, if it wasn't for Hades' frantic cries of shame after he woke up.

I gave it to the Titan and he created another male to take up the fight with you, though Rhiea put you both to sleep as soon as the soul was breathed into you. I heard that it was because she did not want you two to be awake unless needed. The last part was alas, the hardest to obtain, but when Posiedon was busy with saving Percy from dying at the bottom of the sea after the Princess Andramida was blown out of the water, he was able to obtain it by using the Sea God's son. You see, his true son was jealous of the atention his father was giving Percy, so he was able to use that to his advantage.

Now, when the jewel was given to the Creator of Man, he only stared at it. Hades got mad, as he usually does, and started to rant about how much time they had left. But, Promethus was smart, very smart. Instead of making the last one a man, he made it a woman."

"So, I have a sister?" Henry asked as they passed by a wall of crispy vines. Persephone sighed and looked at him sadly.

"Let me finish first." Henry nodded and kept his questions to himself. The more answers he seemed to come across, the more he did not understand. "Now, Rhiea and Prometheus worked together to create this woman, for the Titan only knew how to make men. And as soon as they were done shaping the clay over the wires that she breathed life into her. And when she opened her eyes, she screamed bloody murder.

She was scared to the bone, and Rhiea knew she would be different than you and the other, because you two said nothing to her when you opened your eyes. You were all the age of a coming demigods, fourteen, at the time. And when she put the child to sleep, Hades thanked them perfusly and asked them to be the ones to name you three.

Promethous named the creation that was made form Hades' helmet Skoteimí Fōriá: Dark Fire. The second one he named Astrpí Kléftis: Lightning Thief, as a small little tribute to Percy and Luke, the accused and the real Lightning Thief. The third was Rhiea's to decide on. She chose Thálassa Omorfiá: Sea Beauty. But alas, you three were not needed when the time came."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked, sitting down on a rusting iron bench. "I'm awake, so why would you say that we weren't needed?"

"Because Percy and Nico rose against Kronos, and stood beside the gods." She said, sitting beside him. "And you three were foregotten for nine years."

"But..." Henry said, holding his head. It was throbbing like someone had just hit him over the head with a shovel and left him with a cuncution. "If that's the case... Why am I awake now? Better yet... What am I?"

Persephine sighed and looked him in the eyes, a determined look on her flawless features. "You are neither man, nor god, Henry. You are just like the ancient ones because of Rhiea breathing life into you, and you have all the powers of every god, most prominently Hades in your case."

"So... I'm a Thing?" Henry asked, a little confused. 'Why do gods speak in such non-understandable ways?'

"I prefer to call you a godling. You were not born of normal means of this time, yet you are not a god. It is fitting to call you a Godling."

'Finally, a straight answer I'm not confused by.'

"As for why you are awake, two of you went missing four years ago. We were never able to find you or your sister since then. As a matter of fact, you two disappeared at about the same time actually."

Four years ago... About the time he woke up from the coma... 'No way.'

"Anyway, as for why you are here..." She said, taking on a dark tone. "Your here about my side of this story of my imprisonment."

Henry nodded dumbly, mostly trying to understand and figure out everything she had just told him. She sighed and leaned back against the burnt ivy wall. "It's a long story, Henry. Very, very long." She sounded so sad when she said it, it snapped the godling out of his confusion. Henry patted her shoulder, shoving what she ad said to the back of his mind.

"I have the time."

Herc was leaning against the old oak tree when Nick found him. They had been searching for hours for his girlfriend, but to no avail. Had something taken her in her weak state? Had she been torn apart by some wild monsters? 'No, no, no!' He thought to himself. 'She is out here, alive, she has to be.

"Any luck?" Nick asked, coming out of the brush with a sad look on his face. Herc shook his head, an angry look in his eyes. Was he that upset they hadn't found her?

" Come on, it's almost three a.m." Herc said as he pushed off the tree. His fists were clenched so much that they were white.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, coming a little closer to him.

"I get angry when I stay up too late." Hu, weird.

"All right, let's go." Herc brushed past him, almost pushing him to the forest floor. Nick was only saved by a greenest to him, though it was at the cost of a few scrapes on his hands. "Remind me never to wake you up in the mornings."

"Yeah, cause then I'll kill you faster than you can say 'stop'." Nick stared after the Aries kid in utter shock. Wasn't he nicer at practice? He guessed it was the sleep deprivation kicking in, but there was something behind it. There was genuine anger.

'Was he angry we couldn't find her?' He thought, a thought popping into his head. 'Why was he so angry we couldn't find her?' Something started clicking in his mind, connections in his mind that were always there but he never payed attention to.

Hercules was Elisabeth's friend since the beginning. They had bet Percy and Nico were a thing, they had gone on a few quests together, they trained together... They still do, probably behind Nick's back. That thought made him angry. But, even if he was, he couldn't prove it. He would have to catch him in the act, get proof before crucifying him. Then, once he had the proof, he would proceed with angry furry to fallow threw with making sure he never came near her again.

No one goes near Nick's Aphrodite.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

If there was one thing Herc could do right, it was fallow that golden rule. He had learned it the hard way at a young age, and he would never forget the lesson he learned. By keeping them close, they get a false sense of security, resulting in them letting their guard down. And when they were so comfortable with him, he would strike fast and hard, right where it hurts. They would never see it coming.

Elisabeth had told him everything, her crying hitting him in the heart. She was too sweet of a person to cry. She was too good to be kicked and hurt so badly. She was his friend, she was his very first friend, and hopefully she would be the longest lasting one he would ever have. She believed in him, even before he was this buff and claimed by Aries, and she trusted him with her life. No one trusted him that much, and by damned mythological devils was he going to break that. He was a loyal friend, especially to his true friends. He could never betray anyone, he would only strike back if someone did something to him. anger management problems, a curse of an Aries child. And now she had entrusted him with a secret that made his blood boil.

He wanted to kill Nick. Make him pay, make him beg for mercy, make him understand you DON'T hurt Elisabeth. Ever. Mentally, physically, or emotionally. You never hurt her.

It had taken all his self control he had picked up with the Hermes kids to be able to make it back to his cabin. He wasn't going to sleep tonight, not with this on his mind. He was going to plan, to prepare for the day Nick gets comfortable with him. And when that day comes, he will strike him down with all the force of his father's legacy that had been bestowed upon him by his blood ties.

He pulled out his sword of both Celestian Bronze and Iron, forged with deadly perfection by Elisabeth before they left on the quest. Before everything turned a sweetish sour in her relationship, and in the camp. It was time to stop this madness, even if death may be the answer.

This was war.


	15. Chapter 15

Henry looked out of the small window to the outer realm that he had been living in for the last week. The sky was as black as pitch black, fires burning in a glowing anger as the screams of the damned wafted through the window. He was dressed in normal punk clothing, his hair pulled back out of his face in a pony tail. It had been so long since he had seen the sunlight, seen Elisabeth. But, Hades had insisted that he stayed with them a little longer, till Henry could decide what his plan would be.

He looked away from the window of his dark and very luxurious room, the black and silver decorations just adding to the magnificence of the dark feeling surrounding this place. This castle of black rock and opal in a dark, dead plane. Henry could see why Hades wanted someone down here with him... It was lonely to be here without someone to admire it with you.

Henry thought back to what Persephone had told him. How he was a godling, not a demigod or a god... How there was only one other that escaped this place with him. He wondered who it could be, what his girl looked like. Maybe he already knew her? Maybe he might never meet her... Then his thought turned to Persephone's story. Her words were burned into his memory, stuck there in his mind to remember for as long as he lived.

"My mother, as you well know, was Demeter the Goddess of Grain. My father was Zeus, King of the Gods. My mother loved me to the ends of the earth and back again, and she had many suitors who she deemed worthy of my love. But the one I fell in love with was the one she did not approve of. Hades, lord of the Underworld, was the only one I thought I would ever love.

We secretly met in the dead of night, enjoying each other's company in the moonlight whenever I could sneak away. He told me of his world, and I told him of mine. We were the most amazing friends for many years, and we got each other. We understood each other. He was alone with the burdens of the dead, and I was up here forced to choose a man. Gods that was a horrible time period to be a woman in.

But, what I didn't know was that Hades had talked to my father, and they had agreed that Hades could take me away to live with him. As his wife. That was three days after I had realized I liked him. He kidnapped me, but I didn't mind it. You know how it went from there. But, what you don't know is that I didn't miss my mother till after being down in this place for a year. That is when I saw the true nature of the man I had fallen in love with." The goddess stared at him, the memory of how heartbroken her eyes were killed him inside just so much. That is when Hades himself caught him at that point and welcomed him to his home with open arms.

But still, there was one thing that Persephone said to him after he had asked permission from Hades when he told him the plan to fallow in his footsteps on the plan. While she was leading him to a room, she warned him of what could happen. "Don't do this without her knowing." She said in a cautious whisper. "Whisk her away if it is her choice, Henry. Or else you will have the most horrible time, and you will always regret loosing her love. "

And that was what made him doubt all this. What if she hated him in the end? What if she got angry at what he was going to do? What if she was worried for him? It had been a week since he disappeared from her hospital room in the middle of the night. He had to make a choice soon, and gods damn him if it wasn't going to lead to something terrible. He had to choose letting her be up top in the sun and be with people, or down here in the dark with him.

Hades knocked on the door of the room and opened it slowly. Dressed in his full heavy mettle outfit of leather, chains, pins and other accessories, he grinned at him with that demented smile and unrecognizable glint in his eyes. "Have you made your choice, son?" For the past week, Hades had treated Henry like a son, teaching him everything he knew and training him in the ways of conjuring and controlling the dead. Henry had to control how excited he was the whole time he was teaching him everything, and he couldn't help the pang in his chest of feeling like he had a family.

"Yes, father." Henry said, turning to look at him with his red brown eyes. "I'm staying... And fallowing the plan." Hades grinned and opened his arms for an embrace. Henry didn't even hesitate in hugging him. He knew he was being a selfish, but he wanted a family that was like what he had down here. He wanted to live down here in the darkness and the dead.

He prayed he was making the right choice.

It has been a week since he learned of Elisabeth's little 'problem'. It was still bugging him, keeping it all to himself. He had asked Elisabeth if he could tell Alex, and she said she needed to tell her. She never did as far as he knew. So he hadn't told anyone, he simply kept it to himself. Just like always. Hercules: Master of Secrets.

But, his plan was going smoothly, he had become friends with Nick, and they were pretty tight. He was a sneaky ass, able to get away with a lot of things and never get caught. Like the fact he sneaks out at night to practice how he was going to propose to Elisabeth. Slimball, that's the only word for him. Not even!

Herc had started taking up a really horrible habit as well, not as bad as drugs, but still damaging to the body. Hercules had started a new training program for himself. Wiphich he was doing right now. He was training in the arena, a weird scorpion monster as his opponent. He needed to let off steam, and no one ever chooses him willingly for training, so he took training to the next level. He trained with the monsters themselves. And so far, it was a perfect stress relief, as well as practice for when he came up against one of these things.

"Come on, Herc!" One of his cabin brothers shouted from the stands. His practices were considered to be a sport for the other campers, like the gladiator games of old. And in these, he was the victor in every match. "Finish it! Finish it!" The crowd was whooping and hollering in entertainment. 'Glad I can amuse.'

By the time it was all over, Herc was bloody and beaten, but still the victor. He grinned and looked up at the crowed, raising his secondary sword in the air. "WHO CHALLENGES ME!?" He shouted at the audience he had accumulated over the weeks. Every Aries kid screamed in amusement, pretending to fear him. It was like he was the lead football star and they were his team. It was nice.

"I challenge you!" The whole arena went still, the silence gripping the stands as someone came out of the stands and stood on the ground, ready in training armor, and two familiar bronze knuckles on her hands, a twin daggers on both her hips, and a spear over her shoulder. She was wearing a black oversized hood to hide her face, but Herc couldn't help but grinned wide. He recognized those signature weapons, and that could only mean one thing.

She's back.

Elisabeth stood up and entered the arena boundaries, her amber eyes gleaming with excitement underneath her disguise. She had finally gotten her fathers to get her out of the damn hospital, her whole body twitching from lack of outside stimulation and training. She needed something to do, and from what she heard when she got back, her good friend Herc was holding gladiator training games on his spare time. He got it OKed by Nico already, so it wasn't one of the illegal games that used to go on till Nico enforced the rules. Finally, it was time to see how bad she was training wise.

"Nice!" Alex screamed, sitting next to a depressed Nick, and a eager Jonny, her green eyes gleaming with a weird kind of bloodlust. Didn't she know no one was to die in these games? "LET'S GET THIS BLOOD BATH RUNNING!" Guess not.

"Shall I take it easy on you?" Herc asked in a whisper, making sure no one saw him talking to her. Elisabeth shook her head no.

"Hit me with your best shots." He grinned wider. This was the girl he knew all too well.

"Don't cry when I win then." Herc teased, swinging his sword a little as he stretched his tense muscles. She shrugged.

"Eh, more like loose." The whole crowed laughed, some screaming for Hercules, some screaming for the Mystery Challenger, some just screaming for them to get on with it.

Elisabeth made the fist strike, swiftly moving to his open area and drawing her daggers. But he was quicker than before, almost hitting her over the head with the sword. She ducked and sliced at his knee, surprised when he easily maneuvered away from her. He had been practicing. She grinned wider, her adrenalin spiking horribly as she got exited.

'Perfect!'

Nick watched as his friend fought this hooded stranger. She was good, but not a match for him. He had the weight, the muscle, and the speed on his side. She wasn't going to win this.

"Come on Herc!" He called over the roar of the crowed. "Crush her like a bug!" Herc nodded to him, grinning still, and thrust at an opening he found.

That was when the tides turned.

Nick watched she held out her hand, and broke the sword in half. Everyone was dumbfounded. Had she just broke the sword with her bare hand?! Then the sun caught the light of her hands, and Nick froze.

"No way..." He breathed, watching as she started fist fighting with him, the advantage hers now. She boxed like a champ, ducking, weaving, punching, moving with amazing speed. Herc didn't have a chance now."Is it really... No... It can't be..."

Herc was getting beaten. But he knew he was no match for her in a fist fight. A sword fight, he had a chance, but a fist fight? Might as well lay down and surrender now.

" Pull off my hood." He blinked, Elisabeth had him pinned down, raising her fist like she was in slow motion, but she loosened her grip on him. He looked behind her at Nick, and knew what she was doing. And he'll if he wasn't going to play along.

In a burst of strength he flipped her off of him, though she landed on all fours like a cat. But while she was getting to her feet, he grabbed a shard of his sword and cut her hood off, then gasped.

"What the hell happened to you?!"

Nico's eyes widened in horror. She looked like she had been drained of life, her skin a ghostly shade of pail, and her hair was shaved off and still growing back. She had scars all over her, and her eyes were no were near the old shine they had once.

He saw Herc drop the shard and back away as she turned to the rest of the audience, glaring. The Aphrodite girls screamed in horror, running onto the feild.

"LIZ!"

"Oh my GODS! What HAPPENED?!"

"Who did this to you?!"

She didn't speak, looking at each of them with dead eyes. Then she looked at Nick, and he paled. Did he do that to her? Did he make her into this monster?

'Oh gods, what have I done?'

Elisabeth was always an amazing actress, but this really took the cake. Alex knew about what Nick had done, and since she knew Nico was going to put him through hell. But, Nick needed to see what he had done to her. So she had set up a plan that was and would happen.

First, she had to get Elisabeth out of the hospital. Easy, since Nico and Percy had already brought her home to camp. The hard part was getting her to come to this. The rest, easy as pie. Her head was already shaved because they had to put stitches in her head so she just shaved it all off so it wasn't an awkward bald spot, Alex had made her wounds look worse than they really were, add a few extra scars, and bam! She was perfect! Then she needed a crowded area where Nick would be. Again, easy: Herc's training practice. It's like a one man event now, so a lot of campers go to it. The hard part was having Elisabeth's hood come off. Alex just had to hope it would while she was fighting Herc. Which happened perfectly.

And Nick's reaction was perfect. Perfect vengeance. Now the problem was keeping him away from her.

"Elisabeth-"

"Nick, you shouldn't." Jonny stated, holding his shoulder to keep him from running to her. "Let her sisters and brothers take care of her. They have been worried sick for her.

Nick slowly nodded. This is why Alex loved her boyfriend: he knew when there was a con going on. And he didn't need to know details to play along. Gods, she loved that about him. They pulled off lots of cons, and most of them were pulled with him not knowing anything about what he was doing it for till after. This was going to be one of those times.

The Aphrodite girls and boys ran to their half sister and hugged her, with no response from the recipient. Finally they took her away, leaving a scared Nick, a disappearing crowed who began to spread rumors, and a surprised Hercules.

"Hey, baby," Alex said, patting Nick on the back while talking to Jonny. "how about you take Nicky here back to our cabin... I don't think it's a good idea for him to be out right now."

Jonny nodded, helping Nick out of the arena like a child making a rag doll move. Nick keptt muttering and looked about to cry. 'Good.' Alex thought as she went to Herc, who was still looking like he just saw something along the lines of a horror movie. 'Jackass deserves it.'

"Alex, what the hell happened to her?" Herc looked at her, and saw that grin on her face. His fear fell away almost as fast as the crowd had gone. "You talked her into that, didn't you?"

"Nick needed to pay." Alex said cheerfully, picking up his halved sword. "And besides, I may or may not have embellished her wounds a little."

"You sly dog." Herc said, shaking his head, a relieved smile on his face. "But she is ok? She's not that dead cold thing?" Alex shook her head no.

"You know how amazing Liz is at acting." Alex said with a wink. "After all, we saw it first hand on multiple accounts."

"True." Herc said as he shed his armor, the leather sticking to him like a second skin. "But I still can't believe he did that to her."

"Me neither." Alex said with a sigh. "I just hope she doesn't go back to him."

"She might not be able to say no." Alex looked at him with surprise, her emerald eyes widening when he saw the angry look on his face. If she hadn't learned anything about Herc over the years, it's that no one wants get Herc angry. Ever. That always ended badly for the one who got him angry.

"What do you mean?" She asked cautiously, not wanting to have his wrath invoked onto her. He looked at her seriously, slinging his armor over his shoulder as he started walking. "Hey!" She said as she struggled to catch up to him. "Come on! You have to tell me!"

"He's planning on proposing to her." Alex stopped dead in her tracks, her face going from surprised, to pale, to completely red with anger.

"HELL NO! NO WAY IN HELL AM I LETTING THIS HAPPEN!" She screamed, one of the torches behind her blazing up in a white hot furry. "NEVERNEVERNEVER!"

Herc sighed as he looked up at the stars. "I just hope that Henry is going to come back soon."

Alex blinked, her anger falling to ashes just as fast as the fires lit. "What do you mean? He left?"

Henry nodded. "She told me needed to do something a week ago. He hasn't come back yet." Alex's expression turned to worry instantly, looking up at the stars with him. "He will be back. He never would leave her forever." Alex sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. She is sometimes so blind, you know?"

"Yeah." Herc said jokingly, ruffling Alex's hair gently with one of his huge hands. "But, think of it this way: she's got her head up in the clouds-"

"Sharada sharada!" Alex sang jokingly. Elisabeth put it on her IPod and it played so much that she actually knew all the lyrics to it.

"Don't know when she'll come down!" Herc sang back, laughing a little.

"Sharada sharada!"

"She can't get to bed!"

"Sharada sharada!"

"She's got this song stuck in her head!" They shouted sang at each other, laughing full out like they used to when everything was less complicated.

"Yeah, that song describes her perfectly!" Alex said when she got control of her laughing fit. Herc nodded, still laughing and almost doubling over from laughing pains. "But, now, what to do till Henry gets here to keep her away from Nick. Herc gave him the biggest smile she had ever seen, it's cheeriness laces with mischief.

"It's simple," He started, only to get interrupted by the little white blond haired teenager yet again.

"We kill the Batman!"

"No." Herc said, trying not to laugh at the reference. "We simply have the Aphrodite girls and boys keep Nick away."

"And how we going to do that?" Alex asked, leaning her back against his side with her arms crossed, looking up at him with her trademark sly grin. "We going to turn this world upside down?" Herc grinned down at her, making her grin even wider. That grin was his evil grin that told you something fun was going to happen.

"We tell them she fell for someone else."


	16. Chapter 16

Elisabeth was about ready to run for it.

Seriously, she was just done. Done with everything and everyone. Don't with the attention, done with the concern, done with them suggestion what color wig she should wear, just plane done. It was just a shaved head and a scar, not a permanent deformity! Gods, sometimes Aphrodite kids think that everything will be a disaster if everything wasn't right. She would have given anything to be back in the hospital with Tina and Toby instead of in the cabin with these vultures right now.

But it was nice having them all notice her for once. It's been... Well, a few years now since anyone other than Nick, Henry, Alex, Tina, Hercules, and Jonny had talked to her. She was actually thinking they started hating her. Guess not.

"So!" Elisabeth was snapped back to reality when the blond Aphrodite boy slung an arm around her shoulder with a sly smile on his face. "I hear you met someone while in the hospital."

"OH MY GODS!" One of the girls screeched as she ran over and sat at Elisabeth's feet. "You found someone else?!"

"Uuuhhhh..." Elisabeth looked at each of the fifty or so people waiting for an answer. She really didn't want to lie anymore. "Yeah."

That's when the whole place erupted into chaos. The whole place started squealing, screaming, going crazy and bombarding her with questions.

"Who is it?!"

"Is he cute?"

"Was he human, or demigod?"

"Was he a doctor or someone visiting someone else?"

Elisabeth felt like she was being suffocated. She needed to breath.

"Girls! Boys!" The boy with his arm around my shoulder said, pushing people back. "Your scaring the lady! Look, she's whiter than a sheet!" Elisabeth smiled gently at him, and he grinned back.

"All right, spill when your ready." He said, squeezing my shoulder comfortingly. Man, this guy has great bedside manner. Elisabeth took a deep breath as every one held theirs.

"He was there visiting his mother... They led him to the wrong room, and I was... Just getting out of surgery." Elisabeth began, holder her head lightly where the stitches here. "He saw how beat up I was, and he saw no one waiting for me. I was just left there. So he visited his mother... Then came back to the room and stayed with me till I woke up. And even after that, he stayed by my side." Elisabeth closed her eyes and leaned back a little, her smile beaming like the rays of the sun themselves. "He was amazing, funny, and all around the most amazing person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. But..." Her smile faded a little as she kept going. "His mother was released and he didn't come for a few days... I still hope to see him again."

"What was his name?" On of the boys asked in a soft voice. She opened her eyes to see almost everyone ready to cry, like this was a tragic love story. She smiled a little and touched her lips, remembering the kiss. "Henry... I didn't get his last name."

One of the girls recognized the hand gesture and squealed. "HE KISSED YOU?!"

Elisabeth smiled a little, a sad, disappointed smile. "No... We were so close to... But he pulled away."

"How close?" Another boy asked, munching on a celery stick. "Come on, details!"

"Yeah! And what he look like?" Another girl asked, leaning over the side of her bunk bed like it was a jungle gym. Elisabeth sighed and took a deep breath, she needed to act with this part just a little bit. But the words rolled off her tongue like water off rocks, cascading down to the crowds awaiting ears.

"He was perfect in every way." She said in a dreamy voice. "His hair was a sun ray blond, tipped with red at the ends so that it looked like he was originally a red head. His skin was pale, but just slightly tan so that he glowed in the moonlight and sunlight like a fallen angel." She closed her eyes again, letting out a sigh. "His eyes... Oh man, those eyes you could just fall into them and loose yourself to them. Such a beautiful shade of brown, almost red... But when he was so close to me, I could see flecks of blue around the very edges of his eyes like an island floating in the shallows of the ocean. We were so close..." She trailed off, holding her heart. It was pounding like crazy, ready to just jump out of her chest without reason. Why was she feeling like this? She was just acting... right?

"You're blushing, Liz." the boy next to me said, squeezing her arms giving her a charming smile. "Need a demonstration buddy?"

Everyone screamed yes at the same time, and Elisabeth sighed as she got it all under control. She had no choice but to show them. "Ok."

He let his arm fall off her shoulders and faced Elisabeth, a smile on his face. He could have only been seventeen by the way he looked, and his deep stormy grey blue eyes were pleasant to stare into. But they weren't ones she could get lost in.

"We were..." She gulped as she leaned forward and brushed his nose with hers, their lips only a little ways apart. One slip of his hand or her leaning forward and there lips would meet. " This far apart." She whispered, closing her eyes so that she didn't start crying from the pain in her chest.

Everyone gasped in shock, some starting to fan girl even harder than they had before. She heard a thump and assumed that the girl in the bunk bed had fallen on her face out of shock. She pulled away and opened her eyes, and laughed a little. The guy who she had demonstrated with was red in the face, blushing like crazy, and his eyes were wide.

"Sorry, uncomfortable?" She asked in a monotone voice. He shook his head dumbly, but started ginning.

"He was going to kiss you." He said, grinning wider. "He was going to kiss you! But he thought you would hate him!"

"How the hell do you know this?" The girl siad from the floor, her hair still perfect when she popped up next to them. Every one of the girls asked him the same question, and he only grinned wider.

"Simple, men get that close means they really, REALLY, like you! And if he stops that close, it means he wants to, but he doesn't want you to hate him! I'm a guy, I know these things!" All the guys nodded and smiled a little. Elisabeth stared at him.

"...So..." She said, looking out the window. "Does that mean... I should dump Nick?"

The whole room erupted again into a flurry of screaming, angry comments, words that should not be repeated, and other horrible things.

"Dump him!"

"He threatened us not to talk to you for so long!"

"He's a possessive jerk!"

"I would have dumped him after the first month!"

"He's a fucking jackass!"

Everybody overpowered her again, and the guy pushed everyone back. "All right guys and girls! Give her room!"

"What even happened to you to get sent to the hospital?" One of the new girls asked, her big blue eyes staring at her in confusion. Elisabeth paled even more.

"I... I..."

"Really? You ask her what happened when we can figure it out." One of the guys said. "I heard from one of the other cabins that they saw Nick walking back to his cabin with blood on his shoes!"

"Yeah!" Another one of the girls pipped up. "I think that he got jealous of Jason! He promised Liz that he would train with her during dinner because no one else would!" There were mumbles and gumbles, then someone pipped up.

"He kicked you, didn't he." The guy next to her asked, his hand on her shoulder. She did nothing, just slowly nodded. She couldn't lie to them, not her half-brothers and half-sisters. And everyone was angry as hell.

"That jerk!"

"He had no right!"

"If he's going to do this, I'm gunna personally skip a manicure just so I can punch him harder!"

"I'll curse him! I'll curse him in love lives!"

"Oh shit!" The fallen bunk bed girl screamed as she looked at everyone. "We got to keep him away from her! For her sake and the sake of this Henry kid!"

"Yeah!" The guy said next to me, smiling determinedly. "This might be a true love thing! This Henry might be her Soul Mate!" Everybody went ecstatic, and Elisabeth had to cover her ears to keep her eardrums from bursting.

"All right! Liz, we will break up with Nick for you." the girl said to her as she ran to the door. "And I'm getting Hercules to be your protector! He can take down Nick in a heartbeat-"

But before she could open the door, it opened in front of her and in walked a familiar face that struck fear into everyone's heart: a pissed off Nico.

"You're in big trouble, Elisabeth." He growled, his arms crossed in front of him. Elisabeth groaned and hung her head.

"Shit."

Herc watched as Elisabeth was lead away from the Aphrodite cabin, a grin on his face.

"You sure that was a good plan?" Alex said as she hung upside-down from a tree branch, watching the scene unfold. "We just ratted Elisabeth out to Nico. She will kill us if she finds out."

"IF she finds out." Herc said, smirking a little as he looked up at her. She grinned a little, mostly out of enjoying all the puns they were making today.

"If... If is good." She said as Elisabeth stared at the ground as she fallowed Nico to the Big House.

"And besides, it's gunna keep her in the watchful eyes of her fathers, and the best part is the Aphrodite cabin are big on rumor spreading. So they get to spread it all around camp like wildfire and Nick will be dead to everyone." Alex grinned wide like a Cheshire Cat and snickered.

"This is why I like you."

"Cause I'm brilliant?"

"Cause you are deceptive and evil as hell." Herc made an offended face.

"Evil? I'm not evil! I'm just simply able to utilize my skills to perform deeds I see fit to use them for."

"Says every evildoer in the world."

"Good and evil are just a matter of opinion." Herc countered, and Alex nuggied him, laughing as he tried to catch her.

"And you and I have two opinions of evil!" She screamed as she ducked back into the tree to a voice his reaching hands.

"Truth on that!" He said as he jumped into the tree after her. "But we are both evil then!"

"Truth be told!" She screamed, as they both fell out of the tree and landed on their backs on the ground with a thud. They couldn't stop laughing, till someone stood over them. Both the emerald green set and deep chocolate brown set of eyes grew wider than chariot wheels when the recognized who it was.

"Hey guys. Miss me?"


	17. Chapter 17

"Hey guys. Miss me?"

The two rowdy rioters who called themselves teenagers stared up at Henry like they had just watched a hydra grow five heads from one stump. Henry was dressed in normal camp attire, his hair pulled back into a pony tail and his smile charming. He also looked like he was dead, but hey, the Underworld can do that to you.

"Wh-ho-why- HHUUU?!" Alex screeched in confusion as she jumped to her feet and stared at him. Seriously, this was going to get old.

"Dude, what are you doing here?" Herc hissed as he stretched a little. Herc stared at him like he was a zombie.

"Well, I need a little help from you two, since you two are the only ones 'evil' enough or stupid enough to help me."

Alex grinned wider just from herding this. Hercules pretended to be offended. "Oh come on! You tag along on a quest and suddenly you think you can call me stupid or evil? Rude."

"Payback for leaving me to the Hydra."

"One time!" Herc jokingly screeched as he clapped him on e back. "And you told me to run."

"Yeah, run AROUND not run AWAY." Henry said sarcastically as he punched his arm lightly. And even lightly it felt like the Ares kid got hit in the arm with a steamroller.

"Dude! When you get so strong?" Henry's smile fell ever so slightly, and Alex jumped on his shoulders.

"Spill." She cooed slyly, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Or else I'll kill you." She smiled cutely, but that just made her scary. Or, at least, to Hercules it did. The godling sighed heavily and looked at them both.

"If I tell you, you need to help me out. Deal?"

Herc thought a moment, pretending to think it over. Alex did the same, hhhhmmmm-ing to herself, which turned to humming the Star Wars theme song. After a few minutes, Herc extended his hand.

"All right. I'm in."

"You don't even know what Im going to ask of you." Henry said, surprised completely that they didn't ask questions.

"Let me guess." Alex said in a sarcastic manner. "You want us to get Elisabeth to the grove so you can actually snog her and ask her to be whisked away with you to gods know where. And then ask us not to tell a soul. Right?" Henry blinked.

"How the hell-"

Alex grinned. "I'm a mind reader." She said proudly.

" And you are predictable." Herc added, closing his eyes and leaning on the tree.

"And" Alex continued. "Tina told me of you pulling a Hades and Persephone. Good luck by the way."

Henry groaned a little. "By Thor's Hammer I will kill you both."

"Dude!" Herc said, looking around. "No invoking the Viking Gods of Azgaurd! Your dad and all the other gods will get pissed."

"Oh." Henry said, rubbing the back of his head as Alex slipped off his tall muscular frame. Herc noticed that the string bean he had met had grown since they last saw each other. He had grown taller, and also gained a lot of muscles, but not enough to make him look like a jock. Just enough to make him supermodel handsome.

"Oh... What?" Alex said, giving him a skeptic look. Henry gave them both a shaky, as well as nervous, laugh. That was a tell something was off.

"About Hades being my dad..." He trailed off as he scratched at a tattoo on his forearm. It was small, but undeniably recognizable. It was a simple skull wearing a black helmet, more precisely Hades helmet of invisibility.

'When did he get a tattoo?' Herc thought to himself, waiting for Henry to keep going. 'And why that specific one?'

"He's not." Both Alex and Henry looked at him in shock. Henry shuffled a little, playing with his hair and kicking his black Converse covered feet in the earthy soil.

He watched as the big and muscular Hercules and the slightly shorter and cunninger Alex look at each other with a recognizable look that acted as their silent communication, then nod. Without even a hesitation, Alex grabbed one arm and Herc grabbed the other as they started dragging Henry away. Henry didn't want to fight them, cause he knew he would win, so he pretended to struggle.

"Let go of me!"

"Nope." Herc said with a satisfied and evil grin. Henry wasn't too scared of it, since he had only talked with Hercules a few times since the quest, but when he saw Alex's grin, he froze.

"Where are you taking me?" He whispered in fear. When Alex had that unmistaken look on her face, everything you loved was going to die unless you do as she says.

"Oh, don't worry." She said in a playful tone. Fake, if Henry listened closely enough. "We just want to talk."

"Alone." Herc added as they reached the edge of the forest, it's eerie at atmosphere intensified by the millions of shadows.

"Why?" Alex smiled a sadistic smile and squeezed his arm hard.

"Because you're explaining everything."

Jonny paced the room a little, thinking. Had Alex been right about what he told him? Nick had really hurt Elisabeth, and left her alone to bleed out? No. He would never in a million years do anything. He was Nick's best friend from the time they left home for here all those years ago. He knew Nick like the back of his hand, and Nick knew him the same exact way.

But the way Nick looked when he saw Elisabeth was like him seeing a ghost. And worse, he already thought she was dead.

It had been a full week, and he was falling apart without her. Nick had stopped forging, refused to eat, and after a few nights of waking up screaming, he stopped sleeping all together. All he ever did now was play his guitar alone by the lake and sing a song he wrote for her. Damn, he really was a mess.

Now, when it was at its worst, she pops back up . Scared, head shaven, pale as hell, and zombie like. Hell, she even looked dead! And she fought like she was going to kill Herc, which was unlike her. She always aimed to disarm, not to disable. Something was wrong with her.

And back at the Hephaestus cabin, Nick wouldn't stop moaning and pulling at his hair since his best friend took him away from the arena. He kept muttering how stupid he was, how he wanted to see her, how he NEEDED to see her. And Jonny wanted to let him go see her, he really did. But by the way Alex looked when she saw his face, it was clear she didn't want Nick near Liz. So that was a no on that.

"Dude, calm down and take a breath." Jonny said as he sat on the bed next to his fragile minded friend. "She's fine, she's with the Aphrodite cabin. Not like they aren't going to let her go." Nick looked up, his eyes red from crying. He looked like a scary ass zombie off The Walking Dead, and it took all of Jonny's will not to decapitate and burn him. It doesn't help that he watched Supernatural, The Walking Dead, and a whole lot more scary TV shows that prepared him for a apocalyptic event.

"I want to see her." He whispered honestly, the heartbreak in his voice just killing Jonny on the inside. The only thing he could do was wrap an arm around his shoulder.

"All right, I'll see what I can do." Jonny clapped him on the back and stood up. "But it might take a bit. Those Aphrodite kids are killer when it comes to possessiveness when it comes to one of their own."

Nick nodded, smiling a little. "Thanks man." Jonny smiled as he left, his smile slipping as he closed the door.

"You would do the same for me."

Nick let his facade down after his best friend left. Gods, this was painful. He was lead to believe she was bead, and now she shows up out of the blue like she had only been gone for an hour.

'I'll make her pay' he thought to himself, his fist clenching in anger. 'Ill make her never leave me again...'

He blinked, looking down at his hands in horror. What was he thinking?! He didn't want to hurt her! This was how it all started! It was brutal and wrong. He never should hurt his Aphrodite. She loved him, she stayed by him, she was there for him. She bent to his will only a little, she only argued with him if he was being stupid, she never begged for forgiveness in a fight. And that's what he loved about her. She stood her ground. So why should he let his possessiveness get to him? She's allowed to have friends...

But the way she looked fighting Jason, the way she smiles at Hercules, the way she flirts with other guys without knowing... The way she always hung out with his half brother over him on her spare time. She was moving away, just like his mother did. She was leaving him alone again, just like his mother did.

It was all Henry's fault.

Everything was perfect, everything was normal till he walked into his life and turned it into a train wreck. First, he took the attention from his mother, then the twerp started taking away her love, and finally the brat took her entirely. She didn't even bothered to notice Nick anymore. Now the stealing asshole was latching onto his girlfriend like a leech.

She was Nick's. She was his. She was his and his alone. Henry couldn't have her. Elisabeth was Nick's Aphrodite, and he would not let the dirty little wesley take her away from him. Not Henry, not Jason, not Hercules, not any man. No one.

Ever.

His fists clenched a little. But how to make Elisabeth understand? He had to make her understand. She needed to understand. She had to understand. She had no choice but to understand. And if she didn't...

He would make her.

By force or gently, she would understand. And if it came to force...

He stood up and went over to his chest of nicknacks, opening it up to reveal all the horrors that lay within. "She will understand... She will." He muttered lowly to himself. He pulled out a small twisted piece of mettle and some scrap irons, his tools of his trade, and the engagment ring. "She will understand completely." And without a single word, he slipped out of his cabin and into the blinding sunlight, and froze.

Elisabeth was walking with Nico back to the Big House, back to the prison she has probably been in for a week. She looked like she was deader than she was before, like something was digging into her and ripping her apart. He loathed that look. It was a look that never made him happy, and he usually knew exactly what it felt like. Right now, he knew exactly how it felt like.

She looked over at him, her amber eyes looking a little brighter than at the arena. Had the Aphrodite girls and guys done something to her to make her less... dead? Was she just acting? Or-

Nick saw Nico glare at him and pulled Elisabeth away faster. 'Shit.' Nick thought. 'He hates me.' He looked down at his hands and smirked a little, the black and rusted mettle sucking up the light like a black hole. It didn't matter, he would still get the girl.

She would understand.

She will.


	18. Chapter 18

"You really did it this time, Liz."

Percy sat at the edge of her bed giving her a sympathetic look. Elisabeth was just laying there, looking up at the plain ceiling, unblinking. Percy sighed a little. He hated it when she was like this, moping and sullen wasn't her thing. But when she did it, it hurt just to see her like this. And after this step, he hated it when she moved on to step two out of three. First step: silence.

"You know this is for your own good."

"How so?" He blinked a little as she sat up, her eyes glaring at him. "How is locking me in the Big House for my own good? To keep me from getting hurt? From going out to see everyone? To keep me locked in and wilt like a rose without sunlight? Please, tell me how this is a good thing!" Percy groaned. He always hated it when girl's got angry. Annabeth and Rachel were always angry at each other only because they were girls who both liked him. But this was a teenage daughter. Even after four years with her, he still didn't know how to deal with her sudden bursts when she snapped. Step two of her teenage complaints: burst of anger.

"Elisabeth, darling, you need to calm down."

She jumped out of her bed and punched the wall. "I'M NOT GOING TO CALM DOWN, DAD! NICO IS TRAPPING ME IN A CAGE! YOU ARE TRAPPING ME IN THIS CAGE! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF I DID THAT TO YOU?!" Percy groaned. Gods, women were amazingly hard to deal with. Step three should be coming up soon.

"He's not trapping you, and neither am I. We're protecting you." Percy said calmly, even though he wanted to scream at her. He did that the first time this happened, and it ended with him almost loosing the ability to walk. She may have been fourteen then, but she still could lift him over her head and pull a Bane from Batman, pulling the move Breaking the Bat from the game Injustice: Gods Among Us.

She laughed bitterly. "Yeah, same thing if you look at it."

"Your being irrational Elisabeth." Percy said, taking a deep breath and letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" She screamed, tears streaming down her eyes. "Thank you for telling me the fucking obvious." Step three: utter break down.

"Sweetie, come here and let me hold you." Percy said slowly, opening his arms slowly to let her know he was there for her. All he got was something thrown at him. Still on the verge of step two, she seems to be.

"SHUT UP AND GET OUT!" She screamed, grabbing the next throwable and heavy object closest to her to throw at him. In this case, it was the mirror on the dresser. Percy jumped to his feet and was at the door in a heart beat.

"Ok, I'm gone!" He said, trying to stay as calm as possible. He was trying to hide the fear in his eyes. "Just don't break the mirror!"

"GET OUT!" The eighteen year old screamed, prepping to throw it. Percy closed the door and was down the hall in just seconds.

"So," Nico said, looking up from a book when he entered into the living room. "How did it go?"

"Well," Percy said, plopping down on the couch. "she is still mad at you and me for doing this." Nico rolled his eyes.

"She's just not allowed to leave the Big House for a few days. It's not like I'm putting her under house arrest, I'm keeping her in our sights so we can protect her.

"Which is a basic version of house arrest." Jason said as he came in, covered in blood. Percy's eyes widened. Jason chuckled a little. "It's not my blood. Don't worry, Percy."

"You take care of another monster at the boarder?" Nico asked in a bored tone, looking back at the pages of Elderst by Christopher Paolini. So far, he was only halfway through it.

"Yeah, damn Scorpions were being a pain in my ass. They just didn't want to die." He said as he headed to the bathroom to change, looking up at the staircase that led to the attic. "Rachel still hanging out up there?"

"Yep." The two older demigods answered at the same time. Jason looked down the hall to the other living areas and heard a low wailing.

"What is that?" He asked, tensing up like he was ready to go confront it."

"Elisabeth." Nico said in a bored tone, but Jason could detect a sad underlay beneath it.

"She thinks we are caging her again." Percy said, not even denying his feelings on the matter. Jason rolled his eyes.

"Need me to talk to her?"

"Have a crack at it." Nico urged, too busy reading to care.

"Good luck." Percy said. "But I would suggest showering first. You look like someone killed you."

"Ah yeah. Thanks." Percy sighed and slipped into a spot next to Nico, who grunted when he lost his place. As Jason left the room, he heard a low and sad voice say something to Nico.

"Might as well look good for your funeral."

The demigod of Zues did not like the sound of that.

The forges were surprisingly deserted, the roaring fires the only sound to break the silence as night grew near. Nick slowly approached, his twisted mind working up his next scheme as he found a empty forge station and laid out the rusted iron.

"That should do it." He whispered to himself as he put on his gloves and apron. The forge was one of the many places he felt at home in, and it was soothing how much it's coal smelling air burned his lungs and the heat of the burning fires kissed his skin. "Gods, why didn't I come here more often?"

He shook his head. "Focus focus!" He harshly whispered to himself as he collected what he needed to melt down the rusted iron. "Need to finish soon, she won't stay long if you don't hurry."

It was painful, waiting for the mettle to harden in the molds he had chosen. It was agonizing work, breaking his back as his unused muscles tried to get back into the groove of forging. This was going to take a while. But his prize was well worth the weight and the painstaking work.

Well worth it.

Henry was looking up at the twilight dusted sky as the sun began to set behind the clouds of the horizon in shades of pink and sherbet orange, smiling just a little as the summer night breeze kissed his skin. It had been too long since he felt this. Too long since he had been in the sun and the moon's glow, or have seen the star's as they started to twinkle and shine above him in the heavens like small lanterns in the night.

"So," Herc said, breaking him from his blissful thoughts. "what do you plan on telling her?"

Henry looked at him funny, his red brown eyes staring at him in confusion. Alex sat on a nearby rock, skipping pebbles across the stream's glasslike surface as it led its way to the lake. Herc and him here standing under the shade of an old oak tree, its branches hanging tall and strong above them. Henry shrugged.

"You have no clue what to say to her, do you?" Herc said with a groan, trying not to sound like he was amused by the godling.

"I don't actually know what I'm going to say to her." Henry admitted sheepishly, pulling his hair back into a pony tail. "I was hoping it would come to me when you brought her here."

Alex laughed gleefully and looked at them with glowing green eyes. "You are really bad at plans, Hen." Henry shrugged and flipped her off. "I got my man, go screw Elisabeth!" She jokingly shouted at him, laughing even harder when his face turned redder than a cherry.

Herc groaned a little. "You know, I would love to say 'Just tell her that you are a godling and you were created in case of her fathers' betrayals came when Kronos rose. Oh and that you like her a lot and want to be forever with her in the Underworld to rule beside Hades.' but I'm afraid that will confuse the hell out of her and also make her think we are crazy." Alex nodded in agreement as she got up and whipped the mud off her knees.

"Yeah, and you can't really tell her you love her cause you think she might be like you." Henry groaned.

"You two aren't helping."

"Well," Alex said sarcastically. "I am of no help to anyone unless they are able to decrypt what I'm saying!" Herc rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, or shut her up long enough to do as you asked."

"Hey!"

"Girls!" Henry shouted, the shadows around them growing thick with dark energy. This was mostly because he was getting a headache from them bickering and telling him how stupid he is. "Please, just, stick to the plan we made." Herc nodded, but Alex tilted her head to the side like a confused child.

"We made a plan?" Henry groaned. This girl was blonder than she looked sometimes.

"Yeah, Alex. You were even there for it." She looked at Henry like he was crazy. "You know... an hour ago?"

"I'm afraid you're confusing her." Herc said in a matter of fact voice. "Allow me."

"The floor is yours." Henry said in a bored manner as he leaned against the tree. 'Seriously, is it that hard to find good help in this day and age?' He thought to himself as Herc stretched a little.

"All right, Alex." Alex tilted her head again and crossed her arms. Herc gave her a wide smile. "Ready to remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Remember when we were here and you were not skipping rocks? Right before the sun went down?"

"Yeah..." She said slowly, a little nervous twinge to her voice. "Herc, your treating me like I'm five again."

"And remember when Henry was telling us what the hell happened to him for a week?" Herc kept going, ignoring his question.

"Yeah, he was talking about the Underworld and how rad Hades was."

"Do you remember anything after that?"

"A butterfly landed on my nose and I got distracted." She admitted shyly, her green eyes looking at Hercules like she was an innocent ten year old. "But it was sooo pretty!"

"Well, you heard him though, right?"

"Yeah, something about me sneaking in and getting her out, you distracting her dads, and me telling her to go to the Lavender grove where Henry will surprise her."

"And if that fails?"

"Run like hell and swim for it!" She hollered in a hyper voice, her ADHD kicking in again as she started running around him. Seriously, she was running around him in circles. She had worse ADHD than anyone at camp, but that just made her even better at what she was good at. Distractions and forging. She stopped suddenly. "Or head to Labyrinth Entrance Rock and hide till the coast is clear!"

Herc patted her on the head like you would a puppy. "Good girl! You payed attention!"

"Shut the fuck up before I break you in half and feed you to my crocodiles." Herc rolled his eyes, chuckling at the otherwise scary threat.

"Rich kids. Got to love the rich kids." Herc said in an amused tone to Henry. "Damn them to hell."

"And what about you slum bums!" Alex countered, poking a finger into his chest. "You guys get to gang up and beat the shit out of each other! And for what? Territory!"

"Can you two please stop fighting." Henry groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "We need to start moving."

"Fine fine, leave me no fun." Alex hisses as she cocked her hips. "I'll get her out of there no sweat."

"You can count on us." Herc said, both of them disappearing back into the forest from whence they came. Henry sighed and stretched a little, ripping the sleeves off his camp shirt and ripping holes in his jeans.

"Stupid uptight people." He muttered as he looked up at the sky for what would probably be the last time in a while.

"Damn, I hope this works."


	19. Chapter 19

Elisabeth laid in the darkness of her room, her mind wandering farther and farther away from her body as she waited in the unfamiliar room for sleep to take hold. She didn't like this, being caged like a wild animal. What had she done? She simply left the Big House, challenged Hercules even though she wasn't suppose to overwork herself, and showed the camp what Nick did. Just fallowed Alex's stupid plan, thats all she did! And now... Now she is the one getting punished for it.

She closed her eyes and let a deep breath escape her chapped lips. Gods, it was like the orphanage all over again, only this time, she was alone.

Alone...

She let a single tear wash down her cheek as she looked up at the wooden ceiling, the numbed pain in her chest dying away for the first time in a while. But she felt hallow, like something had taken away something important for her to function. She knew this was probably a bad thing, but she didn't care anymore. She just wanted to sleep. She just wanted to forget the world she was in and escape into the black abyss that was the lack of dreams.

No demigod ever dreamed, not the imagination kind while they sleep. They saw the future, the past, something that had or will happen. Not something fun like a dream of riding the waves over the soft sands into the sunset on the back of a unicorn dolphin with multicolored skin like oil on water. There was simply nothing, a void that couldn't be filled with anything. She never liked sleeping for that reason. But sleep was going to be her only escape from where she was.

Or so she thought.

Knock

Knockity-knock

Knock

"Hey, Elisabeth?" The teenager groaned a little, turning to face the door. What did he want? She had locked the door for a reason, so that her fathers didn't get in. Know they were sending in Jason? How low can they go? "I know your in there, I know exactly where you been. They said this is for the better, and I'm not understanding you. I'm right out here for you... Just let me in." Did he just seriously use the final verse of Do You Want To Build A Snowman from Frozen only with different words? "We can have each other, it can be you and me. But what are we going to do?" Elisabeth stood up, an annoyed look on her face as she went towards the door to scream at him, when she stopped. "Do you want to sneak out with me?"

Elisabeth opened the door slowly and looked into the stormy grey blue eyes of Jason, his freshly showered body smelling like Axe and peppermint, his hair was still wet from the shower he had taken. She smiled a hallow smile and nodded, not trusting her voice very much at the moment. Jason opened the door a little more and stepped into the room, going right over to the window and opening it.

"All right then," Jason said with a sly grin, offering her his hand. "put on a bathing suit and let's go." And without hesitation, she grabbed her black bakini, running into her closet and slipping it on under the Blood on the Dancefloor shirt/dress she got from Henry the night before she left for camp this year, and ran over to take his hand. He smiled, picked her up bridal style, and jumped out the window. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact and a scream of pain or something, but all she felt was the rush off wind on her face like warm butterfly kisses. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped in amazement, her amber eyes glowing with surprise and glee.

They were flying!

Alex looked up at the moon as the two troublemaking halfbloods entered the camp's heart, Alex looked up at the sky. Gods, it was full of stars tonight, twinkling in the heavens like small lanterns that burned brighter than any candle. She smiled as she watched them twinkle and sparkle and dance in the navy blue satin sky, like they were part of a flowing dress that a person was dancing in as the spotlight hit the jewels perfectly. "Don't you think the night sky is amazing?"

Herc rolled his eyes as he stopped and started at her. "You really do have bad ADHD, Alex. We got trouble to make." She flipped him off, but didn't take her eyes off the sky. He rolled his eyes and stared up at it. "I really don't know. I like my feet on the ground and my eyes on the enemy, not up in the heavens."

"You're missing out then, Herc." She said as a shooting star flew through the sky. She closed her eyes when she saw it and whispered a small little wish, smiling a little as her emerald eyes opened up again. Herc noticed those emerald colored eyes start to twinkle like the stars, which was weird for her. What had she wished for? "My little sister to be happy."

Herc looked at her with confusion. Could she read minds? "How did you-" She rolled her eyes, which cut him off and he groaned. "Thought out loud again, didn't I."

"Yep." Herc groaned.

"Shit."

Alex laughed a little as she turned her attention back to the stars. She squinted when she watched a small black streak fly across the sky like a plane, but it was too low and too small to be one. "Hey, you still got that spyglass on you?" Alex asked, extending her hand to Herc without looking at him.

"Always." He said as he placed the enchanted iron spyglass into her outstretched hand. "Why? Something off?"

"Yeah." Alex said as she placed the lens to her eyes and fallowed the black streak. She smiled a wicked smile as the figures came into focus. "Well how do you like that!"

"Like what?" Herc asked, trying to snatch away the spyglass only to get kicked in the shins. "Ow!"

"I think we got out job even easier than we thought!" Alex said, lowering the spyglass and looking at Herc with a wolflike grin on her face. "Seems Jason got her out." Herc's eyebrows raised far up on his head as he watched the streak disappear out of the sky around the lake area.

"What we going to do then? We were prepared for a snatch and grab, not a Jason!" He said as he started pacing. Then he looked at Alex, who just had an evil smile on her face. "What?" She shook her head a little and started running to the lake with a start, and screamed over her shoulder with so much volume you would have thought that she was TRYING to wake up the whole camp.

"Fallow my lead!"

Nick placed the hammer down on the workbench, the sweat gleaming on his face and bare chest in the fire's light. It had taken him longer than he would have liked, but he was done. He picked up the finished product and covered it with his shirt. No one could see what he made, no one should see what he made. It was meant only for her, only for her, only for his Elisabeth. Now, how to get to her?

He heard the familiar booming voice of the trickster as she passed by, her blond-white hair whipping in the wind like a tail of a commit as she ran by the forge. What was her rush? He watched as Herc ran by as well, fallowed by Jonny. What were they doing?

He shook his head, clearing it of all the haze and curiosity. He needed to get to Elisabeth, not fallow his stupid friends on what can get him and them landed on dishwashing duty again. Or worse, stable cleaning. He cringed at the very thought of that. No way was he doing THAT again.

"Focus." He whispered, clutching the hidden item to his chest as he snuck out of the forge like a thief in the night. "Focus." She was going to hate him for this, but he didn't care.

He loved her.

He would always love her.

Jonny walked out to the Aphrodite cabin in a haze, his head pounding form the Axe and perfume smells that were surrounding the place. He must have been in there longer than he thought, cause when he looked up, there were stars. But he didn't really have the brain space at the moment to appreciate them. His mind was reeling with more important thoughts.

Like how his best friend had lied to him. How he had kicked Elisabeth and left her for dead. How he was threatening people not to talk or train with her. What had happened to the Nick he knew? The one who would play girl's like strings on his guitar, and laughed and joked around, the guy who would never hurt a woman unless they were in a training session and he hand no choice? Cause whoever was waiting for him at the cabin wasn't Nick. That thing was something else entirely. Someone else entirely.

Jonny jogged back to the cabin, looking over his shoulder when he heard his girlfriend's voice. "Fallow my lead!" He stopped in his tracks. She only said that when she was about to do something stupid. Shit, she was doing something stupid again. Debating on weather or not it was worth it, he set off at a dead run after her. He would deal with Nick later. His girlfriend was more important at the moment.

"What the hell are you two doing?!" Jonny said as he caught up easily to the two troublemakers, going in perfect sync with Alex so he was looking right at her and running along side her. He knew they were heading to the lake... Was she going to go skinny dipping again?! "Alex, if your going to try that stunt you did last year, I am going to make you regret it!" Alex only laughed even more than she already was, grinning evilly like a wolf. "Oh shit."

"Just fallow my lead and I'll tell you later!" Alex said sweetly, kissing his cheek as she darted ahead of him. Damn that girl can run. He fell into sync with Hercules, who looked like he was going to kill someone.

"Dude, what is going on?" Herc rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Originally, not this." Jonny groaned as he looked ahead. Alex had already outran them and was waiting up for them a little ways ahead. "Just, be ready for anything?"

"Like?"

"Lighting striking Son of Zeus kind of anything." Jonny groaned. "Yeah, it's probably what you are thinking now." This was not Jonny's day. Really, it wasn't. If they were doing what he thought they were going to do, this was going to end up getting them into serious trouble.

"Shit."

Elisabeth smiled as her bare feet touched the soft, grainy sands of the beach when Jason put her down. The whole time they were flying, she couldn't stop smiling or thinking of the lyrics to that Aladdin song A Whole New World. But it was still so amazing! She couldn't stop smiling at all!

"Thanks for this, Jason." she said in a horse whisper, her throat still sore from crying. He smiled and patted her shoulder.

"It's wrong for them to think you need to be locked away like a damn princess." He stated, gently pushing on her shoulder as he took off his shirt. "Besides, you are one damn good fighter. You can take care of yourself with my supervision." Elisabeth laughed as she took off her modified shirt and hanging it tenderly on a tree branch.

"Wish my dad thought so!" He chuckled a little, throwing his jeans and shirt under her stuff and grinning sadly.

"They will never admit it, Liz, but they really do think that. You're just growing up a little to fast for them." He sighed as he tried not to stare at her still greenish purple bruises and scars on her ches where her ribs were cracked. "Just, give them a little time to figure that out." Elisabeth sighed and nodded, rolling her shoulder a little.

"Yeah..." Then she grinned a wide smile that, figurativly speaking, lit up the night itself. "Race you to the water!" And she was off like a rocket.

"Cheater!" He yelled playfully as he chased after her. But she still beat him to the water, and she dove right in.

She felt safe there, it was a great feeling after all that has happened. Being in the water, having it mold and form around her, holding her gently as she swam deeper and deeper... She felt a slight tingling feeling course though her whole body as she kept floating beneath the surface. She closed her eyes and let the feeling envelope her. It was so... amazing. She must have been down there a while, cause when she opened her eyes she saw Jason trying to swim down to get her, but was starting to loose his breath. Why didn't she need breath yet? It's been longer than a minute...

She swam fast to where he was, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the surface. When he didn't gasp for air, she brought him to land and started trying to get the water out of his lungs. "Come on, come on..."

He started coughing up water when she hit his chest for the fifth time, sputtering and gagging like he had just tasted something horrible. "How-how the hell did you do that?" Jason looked at her in confusion, then she watched his eyes widen in surprise. "Elisabeth... You... Your healed!"

"Hu?" I looked down at my chest where the bruising was, but there was none anymore. She didn't feel pain when she breathed like before... Maybe... Her hand reached up and touched what should have been her smooth shaven head with the stitches, but she felt a mat of dry, healthy hair. She gasped in surprise and ran to the water, looking in at her reflection. She had nothing wrong with her anymore, no scars, no stitches, no bruising, nothing. She didn't look sleep deprived, nor did she look like she had just spent a week in a hospital. She even felt alive! That numb aching gone from her chest and she felt like she could run five marathons! She looked and felt like she had just been reborn!"Awesome!"

Jason sat up a little, looking at her like a freak of nature And when she turned and saw that look, her smile fell right off her face. "What the hell are you?" He growled, standing up slowly and glaring at her. She backed away scared. He only had that look for monsters... She wasn't a monster!

"Jason! I'm Elisabeth!" She said as she backed herself into a tree. He gritted his teeth, but a spark in his eyes knew she was telling the truth. "Please, Jason, you have to believe me."

"Then explain how you can stay under water for ten minutes and come up looking like that." He gestured to her, his eyes never leaving her's. She didn't know how to answer this. She didn't know what the hell was so wrong with this. This was a gift! But she slowly swallowed her fear and,as calmly as she could,answered him.

"I don't know."


	20. Chapter 20

"What the Tartarus!?"

Hercules heard Alex scream that fraze in a high pitch that only ment that she was surprised. He had only heard that once, and now he could say that something unpredicted happened. He ran faster to catch up. He was almost to the edge of the clearing, but he slowed when he saw Alex and Jonny, still not breathing hard at all, stare in awe just outside the cover of the brush. Deciding it would be better for him to stay invisible, the son of Ares stuck to the shadows, staying hidden in the dark tree line as he circled around to find out what was so surprise.

He didn't expect to see what he saw.

Jason had a knife to Elisabeth's throat, his attention on Alex and Jonny, pinning her to the tree so that she couldn't move. Elisabeth was just staring at the demigod of Zeus without even a bit of fear, but what he saw was a transformed version of the teenager he had fought earlier that day. She had become her old self, a soft moonlight glow making her seem almost godly as water droplets in her hair glimmered like the stars in the sky. There was nothing to tell that she had been in the hospital. Not a single sign.

"Mr. Grace!" Alex called as she ran over, Jonny tailing right behind her. "What are you doing!? That's Elisabeth!"

"No it's not!" Jason screamed, not removing the knife from the scared child of Aphrodite's neck. "She can't be!"

"Mr. Grace, we don't understand." Jonny said, his spainsih accent strong and thicker than usual. He only had that when he was legit trying to take someone off guard. There is going to be a fist fight very shortly, Herc knew that. "What makes you say that?" He was speaking slow, he was trying to make him calm down. Good plan, if Jason couldn't fry a person with a lighting bolt. Can anyone say "Crispy Fried Guatemalan BBQ"?

"Look at her!" Jason shouted, indicating her regenerated features. "She didn't look like this before!"

"Then what do you think she is? A sea Nymph? A changeling? Jason, think! What if there is some other explanation than 'monster'." Alex said in her bored tone, crossing her arms over her greasy camp tee shirt with her hip cocked to the side. "Let's bring her back to the Big House and see what centaur man says."

Jason sighed. "Fine." He growls and let Elisabeth go, much to Herc's relief, and put away the knife. "Alex, Jonny, take her. I'll meet you there... I need to get Nico and Percy ready for this bombshell." They nodded, taking Elisabeth by the arms and starting to march her back the way they came. Herc watched as Jason jumped into the air and took off like a blond version of Superman as he took off flying. Hercules waited till he was completely out of sight before running through the underbrush and trees to Alex and not before grabbing the shirt hanging off the tree. Gods only know how Henry would react if he saw her just in that bathing , he had a horrible idea how.

Herc just didn't want to be their for that.

"Please!" Elisabeth pleaded, looking between her two friends with desperation in her eyes. "I AM Elisabeth! Alex, you told me that Jonny got you spiked heels, chocolates, and two dozen roses the last time you two fought because you two were arguing about him cheating on you with someone! And really, he was meeting me to get date advice!" Jonny laughed a little and she arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"We know you're Elisabeth." Alex said in a peppy way, leading her off the trail. "Only Elisabeth wouldn't be scared of one of the Big Three Demigods. And damn girl, teach me your secret on how the hell to do this transformation thing! You look good!"

Elisabeth smiled a little as she relaxed in their arms. Tonight was just too weird, and good thing that she had weird friends who found this cool. Cause right now, after the initial shock of it all, she was freaking out. And she had lost her favorite over shirt, which was really depressing. That was her new favorite shirt.

Jonny rolls his eyes and dropped her arm. "Alex, concentrate. We are bringing her to the Big House." And like an afterthought, he looks around. "Hey, were is Hercules? Did we loose him?"

"Jerkules is around here somewhere." Alex commented, still clinging to Elisabeth's arm still to make sure she didn't run for it. "And we aren't bringing her to the Big House."

"What?" Jonny stopped in his tracks, giving her a look of complete and utter shock. "Love, what are you talking about-"

"Trust me, she doesn't even understand." Elisabeth turned to look behind her, and a smile grew on her face. "Now come on! Someone's waiting for us." Herc said as she throw a long black shirt at her. "I think it would be best you cover up."

Elisabet caught it easily with her free hand, grinning a little when she recognized the neon design, tied knots down the sides, and torn up sleeves. Yanking her arm out of Alex's grip, she slipped her garment over her head, the bikini and her hair unnaturally dry so her shirt did not dampen when it hung to her body. She smiled at her friends, a little glad that they weren't going to be total zombies and do as they were told, till she was picked up and slung over Herc's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"What in Hades?!" She squealed in surprise, punching and kicking him as he turned to Alex and Jonny who where trying to not laugh at her. "Put me down."

"Calm down, Liz." Herc mused with amusement, not even feeling any of her blows as they struck at his chest and shoulders. "Oh, and Alex? Take Jonny and make up an excuse for why she isn't with you." Alex cocked her hip and rolled her eyes at him.

"Why should I-"

"I'll give you a Free Pass." Alex arched her eyebrow, and Jonny gawked.

"Are you serious?" Jonny asked in bewilderment. Elisabeth knew all too well about their little system of friendship. Alex and Trevor were like a reluctant team up of villains after another superhero. Sometimes they blend nicely, other times it's a choatic mess. So they came up with this Free Pass system, if the other gets caught doing something horrible, if that villan has a free pass, they can pass the blame to the other and the other will admit to it. It was usually Alex who gave Trevor free passes, but it was suicide to give her one! "Trevor, are you-"

"Deal!" Alex screamed, grabbing Jonny by the arm and making a run for it into the trees. After a few minutes, all that was left was the wind blowing through the branches like delicate hands playing the strings of a harp and the half seen moon above them. Trevor groaned as he turned, Elisabeth still pounding on him like this was the last day she would ever exert this much energy, and headed farther into the dark and gloomy forest.

"This had better be worth it."

Henry waited patiently as the moon started to glow with it's readiant light in the sky, the stars twinkling brighter than he had ever seen them. He smiled a little as he laid back in the soft grass. He could tell why Elisabeth loved this spot so much, it was a little patch of heaven. He blew a smoke breath out, the ash took flight like autom leaves onto the warm summer breeze. He sighed, his burning red eyes closing as he tried to control the fire within him.

Since he had agreed to stay with Hades, his 'father' had given him a small little gift as a token of his aproval and his overjoyment. He had unlocked his full potential, from his shadow travel, to his immortality. The only drawback to this little present was that he felt like he was on fire every waking second and he would breath out ash like he was the chiminy and there was burning everlasting fire in his stomach. Henry didn't care though, he liked the feeling. It ment he was alive, it ment he was going to make good on his plans and promises.

He sat up slowly, his eyes opening as he breathed out again, this time a little trickle of fire escaping with it. That would have been so cool if it weren't for the fact he was annoyed. He wasn't the impatient type, but he felt like something was different, like something was wrong. He stood to his feet, his hair longer blond hair flowing in the wind like something out of a movie. When light dulled, he looked up to the stars, and watched as some twinkled, and others shined in panic.

Something was definatly wrong.

But what could he do? If he was found, there was no way that he would get out of here alive. Much less live through Nico and Percy's questioning and interigations. They were horrible people to be on the bad side of. But, there was one thing he could do.

Leaning down into the dirt, he gently ghosted his hand over a spot in the grass and willed a crack to open. It was small, just an unnoticable crack in the earth like a healing scar, and from it came a charred looking being as it clawed it's way back into the world of the living. Breathing in the sweet lavender sent, it's charred flesh began to grow back, the black burns falling away to reveal a brown oaken skin and green whisps of long flowing hair of a young tree nymph.

"What did you call me here for, my Lord?" She asked in a quiet voice, her big brown eyes looking up at him like a loyal puppy. He smiled and gently brushed the white strands out of her face. Her eyes closed at his touch and she smiled.

"Willow," He spoke kindly, her eyes opening a little with curiosity. "Please, go check on the progress of my friends? I am starting to worry for them. And stop calling me Lord, it's really unnerving." She nodded slowly and stood on her two feet, her black toga falling to around her knees at her full hight. Her growing smile was infectious, her eyes twinkling just as bright as the stars.

"Yes, Master!" She said happily as she started running, white roses raising from her footsteps behind her. Henry chuckled a little at her inthusiasim. She was his second pressent, a burnt Weeping Willow tree nymph to distract himself while he waited for the perfect time to collect Elisabeth, not that he would ever use the poor nymph for anything like that. She was just really nice company to have, someone to talk to and send up to the world of the living so she can see how the world was doing. And for that, she was always happy, or at least happier than she was before.

He sighed, thinking about the horrors of the World of the Living and how their actions were killing the very earth they should treasure. Willow had died, burned to a crisp by a wildfire, he had been beaten every chance Nick had wanted to let off steam, Elisabeth had been scared for life... This world was a monster. Man was a monster, even if they never saw it.

The Underworld at least damned the wicked for their sins. That's all the comfort he needed in this matter, as much as he wishted to burn the rest of the abusive, proud, idiotic gits that were too blind to see how horrible thier actions were and still can be. Henry sighed as he laid back in the grass again, looking up at the moon and stars.

He wished the world would change. Like he did. Elisabeth would understand.

She always did.

It was after about five minutes that Elisabeth had stopped trying to beat the shit out of Herc, just giving up and letting everything take it's corse. After all, Hercules would pay later with the Free Pass anyway. So this was turning out to be a waist of time.

"So," She grumbled, crossing her arms across his shoulder blades in irritation. She was noticing that the dark forest was starting to brighten, they were coming to a clearing probably. "where exactly are you taking me?" He smirked and shrugged, accidentally digging his shoulder into her gut when he did so.

"Sorry." He said in a real sympathetic tone, though she noted the sarcasm in his words. "But you will see." The hulking mass of muscle was really starting to get on her nerves. But, she didn't say a word for a little bit, till she heard a rustle in the bushes.

"What was that?!" Herc rolled his eyes.

"You are just so jumpy today, Liz." He said in a joking matter, taking out a plastic baggy of pomegranate seeds and offering some to her. "Chill out and eat a pomegranate seed." She did so reluctantly, popping the seed into her mouth and spitting it out when she got all the edible substance off of it. She hadn't had a pomegranate seed in a weeks, so she couldn't help but ask for some more when she was through with the first one. He just laughed and her the rest of the bag, claiming he "didn't much care for them anyway."

Then the forest cleared completely, revealing the all too familiar sight."Why are we at the lavender field?" Elisabeth asked, her eyes looking around for anything out of the ordinary. Though, that was hard being on the back of a guy who was more a brick wall than anything.

"Yo! Got your cargo here." Herc said, keeping Elisabeth from looking up and over at who he was talking to. "Now, payment. Cough it up."

"Oh Hercules." A familiar voice said with a laughing, making Elisabeth freeze in place. "You joker you! Come on, she's not cargo, set her down!"

"Not till I get the dough!" Trevor said, Elisabeth able to hear smile on his face though the joking tone in his voice. "Ok ok, don't glare at me like that, I'm just playing." She felt his hands on her waist as she was lifted into the air like a rag doll and placed gently on the ground.

As soon as her bare feet touched soft grass, she whipped around and stopped dead. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, her mouth falling open a little at the sight she was seeing.

Was it really him?

Henry smiled kindly, his face lighting up of the first time in a week. She didn't look anything like Hercules and Alex had described her to be. They told him of a dead looking rag doll with no hair and scars, bruises that were still healing from cracked ribs and hard kicks, and almost no life in those dull yellow grey eyes. But this wasn't what he was seeing. Elisabeth was completely different... She was... perfect.

She wasn't damp at all, but there were billions of droplets in her carmel red hair glistening like the very stars that hung in the night sky above them. Her eyes were a bright amber, like she was corsing with power, the shine in them filled to the brim with every emotion she was feeling. Her skin was the color of creamy caramel, and just as rich, shining a healthy glow in the faded moonlight. And she was just wearing the shirt he had give her. He expected her to make alterations to it, she had talked about it when they were at the mall, but the way it hugged to her skin... And mixed with everything else...She looked...

Like a goddess.

His heart crashed into the very pit of his chest. No... No she can't be... If she was the girl who escaped from there... Hades would... No... No no no no no no-

"Henry?" She whispered, her voice slicing through his thoughts like a enchanted blade. He blinked, realizing he was just staring at her now. She was holding his hand gently between her cold one's, her eyes looking up at him in concern. She was so close... When did she get this close? "Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah..." He said slowly, shaking off the whisps of his thoughts as he squeezed her hand gently, smiling with a fake sence of reassurance. And, like always, she saw right on through it like glass.

She shook her head, irritation in her every perfect feature. "You're lying again, Henry. Stop lying to me." Then her eyes met his and he cringed. She had that look. He hated that look. Really, he hated it. "What is wrong? You wouldn't be here if there wasn't something wrong."

He groaned, looking to Herc for some help, but he was just leaning on a tree, smiling a little like a cocky dick he was. "There's nothing... Look, I need to ask you something." She looked up at him confused.

"What?"

"I..." He stopped. What if she really was the girl created for the protection of Olympus. What if Hades figured it out and got mad at her for escaping in the first place?... What if she learns about what she is? The way she was so confused, and her complete transformation, it might be great for her. But what if she just didn't want to know? What if she knew all along and was hiding from it? 'What if I'm just over thinking this?'

"Henry." She whispered, touching his arm gently, shaking him a little. He blinked, looking into her eyes and finding worry in them. The motherly worry look he oh so hated with a burning passion. He looked away from them before he got sucked into them and felt worse than he already did. He didn't plan it, but his eyes focused on her lips. They were perfectly pink, natual and just so... inviting. Even in a frown, they were so... "Henry, what are you-"

He leaned down and kissed her lips gently, his burning lips mixing with her cold ones perfectly. Fire and ice, it felt like that in a way. He felt her tense up a little, but slowly she laced her hands in his hair and kissed back gently. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off the ground, her skin brushing his as the shirt hiked up a little under his arm. She was so soft and light... He could just steal her away right now and she wouldn't care probably... He felt her legs wrap around his torso, her hands gripping his hair like a life perserver. It was like she was drowing in this world. He wouldn't let her though. One of his hands traveled downwards a little and gropped her gently, getting a small little gasp from her, her lips parting everso slightly...

"Ew, gross!" Herc somewhat shouted, causing Elisabeth to pull away a little as Henry was about to lick her lips. Herny groaned and glared at him, feeling his skin heat up in anger. Could he just get one break? Just one, that is all he was asking. He wanted to at least have a few more moments- "I'm going. I don't need to watch you two start in on a love fest here." Herc said as he rolled his shoulders and turned his back on them to head back the way he had come. "Have fun sucking faces!"

"And that's why she calls him Jerkules." Elisabeth said with a sort of embarresed laugh. He had never thought she would ever get nervous, but Herny couldn't help but find it really cute. "Um... Henry?"

"Hm?" He said, their face still so close that their noses brushing each other's. He really loved feeling her cold skin on his, just the little touch and it was electric.

"Can you put me down? And get your hand off my ass?"

"Nope." He said, going in to steal another kiss from her soft lips, only to be met with a hand pushing his face away.

"Put. Me. Down."

He groaned. See? One break? Noooo, he had to have her fall out of the moment easily. "Fine." He grumbled and set her back on the green earth and retreating his hands back into his pockets. Gods she was going to kill him. But when he looked at her, she saw she was blushing completely red and trying to hide it behind her hair. Did... was it because of him?

"Henry," She said as she started shaking, which was a good thing or a bad thing. If she was shaking in anger, he was bolting. If she was shaking in a seemingly exited way, he was going to kiss her again. Either was an option at this point. "Why are you here?"

He froze. Shit. This was it, he was going to have to pop the question. Oh, gods, have mercy on him. Henry closed his eyes and ran a hand through his long blond hair gently as he tried to figure out how to say this. Her intense eyes weren't actually helping either. That, and the fact her shirt was hiked up revealing more skin than he was used to seeing her show. Distractions weren't what this eighteen year old godling needed right now. Especially when he had been with Hades for a week and hearing him and his wife in their room when he went past going at it like horny took all his will not to think of how Elisabeth would sound if they- 'Stop. Right. There.' This was difficult as hell now. Taking a deep breath, he sucked up the rest of his courage spared from kissing her and just went for it.

"Will you run away with me?"


	21. Chapter 21

Nick looked though the tangled branches of the trees at the scene before him in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, he wouldn't! He couldn't been here. Henry wasn't here. He couldn't be. He was mortal! But...

He was right there, holding Elisabeth in his arms, sitting in the lavenders and soft summer grass with her as they spoke in hushed whispers. She was smiling up at him, bare feet ever so slightly entangling in the grass as she laughed at something he said. This... This wasn't happening!

A slight pang in his heart made him feel like someone had drove a knife through him and was twisting it slowly. How could she do this to him? To 'us'? She loved him with all her heart, she said that!... She must have hit her head...

'Yeah...' He thought, a wild grin forming on his face. 'She must have... Maybe she just needed to-'

His thoughts cut off when he saw Henry slowly turn her head, a blush forming on his cheeks as he leaned in and kissed her lips gently. Nick felt the knife dig in deeper, watching in horror when she didn't move away. She should have rejected him! She should have stopped him! But, she was... She was blushing and kissing back slowly, innocently... Like she used to with him.

He gripped his parcel close to his chest, tears forming in his eyes. No. No, she was being tricked. He-Henry must have done something to her. He was pulling her away... Just like he stole his mother, he was stealing his lover... 'I can't let him-'

"I need to go home, Henry..."

Nick blinked a little, rubbing the tears form his eyes. Elisabeth was standing up, only wearing that ugly, too long scrap cloth she called a shirt over her beast black bikini. In the moonlight, when the moonbeams hit her hair just right, he could see dewdrops glisten like stars, twinkling joyfully for no reason. She looked even more like a goddess than she had in the last few years since she finished developing into a woman. She was... Perfect. But, what had happened to her? Last time he checked, she was sickly pale, had no hair, and stitchings and scars from-

Henry looked up at her, a sad look in his red eyes... Had they gotten redder? And... When he breathed out a sigh, Nick could have sworn he saw ash fall out of his lips and take flight on the winds. "You'll be here tomorrow? Right?" Henry asked, standing up and taking her hand in his, making every muscle in Nick's body tense. She only smiled and nodded, her pink chapped lips curling into a well known playful smile. The smile she kept just for Nick. "Ok..."

As she walked towards the edge of the field of purple and green, Nick watched as his half brother, the brat who was ruining everything, dissipate into the shadows by the stream. And by dissipate, Nick meant full on fell backwards into the shadows and fell right through them.

This was getting too weird. This wasn't happening. Henry wasn't a son of Hades. He couldn't have been! But... 'That is the only answer to why he just disappeared.' Nick thought. That explained a lot thought, now that he thought about it. How the little twit had saved himself so many times from his wrath, how he always beat him down the stairs to the door when Nick chased him, how he was always out so late but was home exactly when he was suppose to be. He probably even snuck out without the means of the front door a lot too... This just sent Nick's blood boiling. This was unforgivable. This was intolerable!

He watched as his girlfriend, the cheating hoe herself, walked into the forest, cursing lowly to herself when her bare feet hit the thorny ground. Serves the bitch right... Nick grinned a little to himself, his mind clicking a little as he emanated a low and demonic chuckle. She was all alone now, all alone in the woods where anything could get her.

Time to teach the cheating whore a lesson.

Elisabeth smiled to herself as she found the small worn path she was so used to walking in the woods to her secret grove. Her feet were cut and scrapped from all the jagged rocks and thorns she had stepped on and brushed past as she tried to find her way there. Now, on a easily recognizable place, she could just let her feet do the walking as her mind drifted back to the field.

They had talked about his little plan, how Tina and Toby had goaded him to do, and how Hades had already given him permission, as well as a few... disturbing things. Like how he wasn't exactly a demigod anymore, since he had been training with Hades in the ways of the dead. He described everything, from the story of how he and the other two had been created to the intricate architecture of the dark palace of opal and lava rock in the underworld, from how to navigate the Elysium field to the secrets of the gods of Olympus themselves. It was all so much to take in at once. And how he had kissed her...

She blushed at the very thought of them, her lips tingling ever so slightly like sparks were still flying. She felt guilty though. Nick was technically still her boyfriend, and if he knew she had kissed his brother and loved it... She stopped dead in her tracks and stiffened, her mind going back to that night a week ago when Nick hand beaten her. She could honestly say that she was scared of a repeat of this incident. Closing her eyes, she took in shaky breaths and imagined what it would be like to break up with Nick. She could just hear him screaming at her, calling her horrible things meant to hit her hard in the heart like cannon fire. She could just feel his fist and his steal toed boots digging into her skin and her bones breaking underneath them. She hadn't realized she was crying, till she felt a soft hand whip away the tears, another holding her cheek gently. It wasn't the warm hands of Henry, she knew that. His touch would set her sink on fire and make it tingle with energy. She froze, keeping her eyes closed in case it was just a figment of her imagination. But as soon as she heard it speak, her blood went ice cold.

"Shhh, love. It's all right now."

Nick had fallowed her the whole way, plotting the perfect way to make her pay for what she had done. Even if Henry was there and probably seduce her with his intoxicating ways that made Nick want to vomit, she was still responsible for not resisting. He had even figured out the perfect way too, until she stopped in the path suddenly. Curiously, he slowly crept ahead of her, thinking maybe this was the place to execute his plan.

Till he saw the tears in her gently closed eyes.

In all four years he had been with her, he could honestly say he never seen her cry. Never. Not even when he kicked her, she cried out in pain, but never shed a tear. She was the tough girl, the one to fight with every ounce of energy she could muster, the one to peruse any quest she saw fit. But now, seeing her start to break down alone, she looked like a small child who was forced to grow up. Why hadn't he seen that before? Why did she deceive him like that? He already knew the answer, but he rarely ever noticed it before, even when it was in front of his face.

She didn't want to worry anyone. She cared too much to see them concerned.

He couldn't help but feel pity for her. She was probably going to keep Henry's little stolen kisses a secret from him, because she didn't want to make him upset. Maybe... Maybe she was forced to? Maybe she had no choice in the matter? That had to be it, it had to be. She was loyal, faithful, and true to the end... But never would she do anything to hurt him unless she was forced...

And that made the rage for his half brother burn even brighter in that growing spot in his heart.

Slowly, he snuck in front of her and gently whipped away her tears. They were like clear dewdrops on morning grass, her skin feeling softer than the finest silks. It was strange how new she felt under his touch, how his views of her were always changing. From nobody, to nerd, to somebody, to... Perfect. Even when she flinched under his soft caresses of her face, he still found so many things that had changed over the years. Her little star birthmark under her left ear was more pronounced than it originally was, her hair had natural dewdrops that stuck out in the light now, her sent he used to know of ocean breeze and lavender was now mixed with morning dew and natural roses. She had changed, and so had he.

"Shhh, love. It's all right now." He whispered, frowning a little when she flinched and squeezed her eyes tight shut. He had never seen her like this... Was she... "Are you scared of me?"

Her eyes snapped open, her amber hues more pronounced and glowing in the darkness, flashing a emotion he never seen her show , as she backed away from him. She looked around for someone, backing herself into a tree as she realized there was no one to come and help her. It wounded him to see her like that. It shamed him for changing her love to fear with those three stupid kicks.

This was all his fault.

"Stay back!" Elisabeth shouted, terror clinging to her voice as he stepped forward. Her heart was racing so fast in her chest, she thought it might burst right there and then. Nick had come out of nowhere, carrying a parcel wrapped in his grease stained shirt. For all she knew, it was something to beat her down with. Permanently this time.

She noticed his eyes flash a hurt expression, coupled with a look of pity. He pitied her? Why the hell would he do that? He was the person who was going to probably kill her if she tried to run, why pity the victim? To make it worse for them? Hell, anything was possible at this point.

"Elisabeth," He hummed, his normal cocky smile spreading on her lips. "Babe, it's ok. I won't hurt you. I promise. I swear, I came out here to find you." Her heart stopped dead, mid heartbeat even. Had he seen Henry? Did he see them kiss? Or did he just see a figure disappear? 'For Henry's sake, lets hope he didn't see anything.' She thought.

"I saw you in the grove with him..." He said, making sure our eyes were locked, his intense stares burning into my soul. "My brother has something on you, I know it. But it'll all be ok soon, know that I know how he's doing it." With every word he spoke, he got closer. And with every step, Elisabeth's face paled. "Don't worry, baby." He cooed, cupping his free hand around her cheek. "It will all be fine once I deal with him."

She wanted to laugh at him, a full out humorous laugh that she saved only for something truly idiotic. Nick take on Henry? That was hysterical! Henry was way out of his league now, he didn't have a chance. But it stuck in her throat, the intense eyes of her boyfriend causing her to stay silent. She had seen those eyes before, when they were young and stupid. He had that look on his face when I wore the bikini for a late night swim date, just the two of them. Those raping eyes had looked over every inch of her, but he didn't make a move. But by how close he was now... His eyes might not just rape her to night.

"I made you something." He said softly, unfolding the shirt between them, looking down at hit so their foreheads touched. Writhing the clothing, was an iron collar speckled with bronze and silver so it looked gothic and mysterious. Elisabeth saw it as surrender. "I know how much you said you wanted a collar, but I always told you no. Well, I'm sorry, I was a jerk for saying that... And I was horrible when I kicked was a jerk for every other time as well, and I feel horrible about everything. Please..." He leaned in closer and pecked her lips gently. There were no sparks there like there used to, they were duller, colder. She didn't hate it, but she didn't like it either. "Forgive me?"

She sighed, leaning her forehead against his as she looked down at the collar with a sad expression. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find forgiveness for his abuse. She shouldn't. But there was some small part of her, deep down, that really wanted to. "Nick," she said softly, barley heard above the summer breeze. "I don't know if I can..."

He smiled a little, his hands unclasping the collar's latch and placing it around her neck. It was cold and emotionless around her skin, yet it was thin and sort of unnoticeable. "Give it time..." He said softly. "I understand." Something in her clicked, but she didn't like it at all.

He was trying to earn her love back, and it was somewhat sweet... But something told her it wasn't for her at all. He kissed her again, pushing up against her gently as his hands held her waist in place against the tree. Without her consent, her lips moved against his and she kissed him back just as slowly, falling in sync with him. Her body was a a puppet's for some odd reason, and Nick was her puppeteer.

"Close your eyes." he whispered gently in her ear, and they closed without hesitation. "Good girl." She mentally cursed herself for this. What was she doing? This wasn't her! This was-

She felt his kiss deepen a little, forcing her head back against the tree as he licked her lips for permission, his hands holding onto her thighs so that the legs were raised and latched around his body. What was he doing? She felt one of his hand move up under her long shirt and grasp her boob gently, squeezing it a little. No. No no no no!

"Stop." She growled, her hands tangling into his hair without her wanting them to. He was kissing her neck gently, sucking on the delicate flesh between her neck and shoulders, leaving small noticeable bruises behind. "Nick, stop it."

"Sorry." He answered, looking up at her and nipping the collar, thrusting his hip a little to readjust her against him. "I've starved myself for long-"

"Please..." Elisabeth's voice broke a little, she felt a tear fall down her face. She admitted it: she was terrified of this. Whatever magic he put into the collar, she didn't like it. "Please... Stop..." He looked surprised and horrified at the same time, immediately dropping her to her feet and taking the collar off.

"Baby, please, don't cry." He pleaded, holding her face in his hands, his eyes full of dread. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I wasn't going to go far, I swear. Oh shit, please, don't cry." He pulled her into a loving embrace, one sided to say the least. "I don't know what to do when you cry." She cringed a little when he said that, more tears falling down her face.

'Damn. Fucking. Son. Of. A. Bitch. Was. Going. To. Rot. In. Hell.' Was all she thought, her thoughts a broken up mess, where most of the words she wanted were a scrambled up jigsaw puzzle. Oh, gods, when will this nightmare all be over? When will this all just poof out of existence.

'Tomorrow.'

The dead wood nymph watched from her hiding place among the trees as she watched the scene unfurl. From the stopping of her in the road till now. The demigod boy hugging the godling girl, repeatedly saying he was sorry and for her not to cry. She could tell that if the godling had a knife, she would have stabbed the guy through a billion times.

"Poor girl." She whispered to herself. "She's in too deep with this one."

Her eyes flickered to down the lane a little, where something was watching other than her. A monster? No. Another wood nymph, a young oak tree to be exact. And boy, did he looked scared of the guy. Slipping down, she pulled him over a little, scaring him out of his bark.

"Hello." Willow said with a smile. He stared at her, up and down, and stayed silent for a few moments.

"Hi?"

"Tell me," Willow said, pointing to the godling girl. "Who is she?"

The teen oak looked at her quizzically. "Elisabeth Walker. The man next to her is her boyfriend. Nick." He spat out the word like it was a disease. "Hate his guts for what he does to her. The dead willow gasped. Elisabeth was Master Henry's girl! Why was this Nick character getting in the way? "Because he hates his brother."

She looked at the young nymph, who was looking at his feet. "What did you say?"

"Nick hates his brother Henry, who was here tonight in the grove with her. He's sweeter than Nick, just from what I saw." The young tree nymph said, rubbing his hands on his tunic. "But who knows. Can't judge a book by it's cover."

Willow nodded slowly, looking back at the two who were starting to walk back to came, Nick still holding her hand in one and the collar in the other. "What's your name?"

"Oak. But I like Mark better." She smiled and messed up his dark creamy brown hair, her hands rustling up some leaves from the mass.

"All right Mark, I need your help." She said with a smile. He blinked a little, looking the crazy nymph up and down before nodding slowly.

"What do you need?"


	22. Chapter 22

Nick looked though the tangled branches of the trees at the scene before him in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, he wouldn't! He couldn't been here. Henry wasn't here. He couldn't be. He was mortal! But...

He was right there, holding Elisabeth in his arms, sitting in the lavenders and soft summer grass with her as they spoke in hushed whispers. She was smiling up at him, bare feet ever so slightly entangling in the grass as she laughed at something he said. This... This wasn't happening!

A slight pang in his heart made him feel like someone had drove a knife through him and was twisting it slowly. How could she do this to him? To 'us'? She loved him with all her heart, she said that!... She must have hit her head...

'Yeah...' He thought, a wild grin forming on his face. 'She must have... Maybe she just needed to-'

His thoughts cut off when he saw Henry slowly turn her head, a blush forming on his cheeks as he leaned in and kissed her lips gently. Nick felt the knife dig in deeper, watching in horror when she didn't move away. She should have rejected him! She should have stopped him! But, she was... She was blushing and kissing back slowly, innocently... Like she used to with him.

He gripped his parcel close to his chest, tears forming in his eyes. No. No, she was being tricked. He-Henry must have done something to her. He was pulling her away... Just like he stole his mother, he was stealing his lover... 'I can't let him-'

"I need to go home, Henry..."

Nick blinked a little, rubbing the tears form his eyes. Elisabeth was standing up, only wearing that ugly, too long scrap cloth she called a shirt over her beast black bikini. In the moonlight, when the moonbeams hit her hair just right, he could see dewdrops glisten like stars, twinkling joyfully for no reason. She looked even more like a goddess than she had in the last few years since she finished developing into a woman. She was... Perfect. But, what had happened to her? Last time he checked, she was sickly pale, had no hair, and stitchings and scars from-

Henry looked up at her, a sad look in his red eyes... Had they gotten redder? And... When he breathed out a sigh, Nick could have sworn he saw ash fall out of his lips and take flight on the winds. "You'll be here tomorrow? Right?" Henry asked, standing up and taking her hand in his, making every muscle in Nick's body tense. She only smiled and nodded, her pink chapped lips curling into a well known playful smile. The smile she kept just for Nick. "Ok..."

As she walked towards the edge of the field of purple and green, Nick watched as his half brother, the brat who was ruining everything, dissipate into the shadows by the stream. And by dissipate, Nick meant full on fell backwards into the shadows and fell right through them.

This was getting too weird. This wasn't happening. Henry wasn't a son of Hades. He couldn't have been! But... 'That is the only answer to why he just disappeared.' Nick thought. That explained a lot thought, now that he thought about it. How the little twit had saved himself so many times from his wrath, how he always beat him down the stairs to the door when Nick chased him, how he was always out so late but was home exactly when he was suppose to be. He probably even snuck out without the means of the front door a lot too... This just sent Nick's blood boiling. This was unforgivable. This was intolerable!

He watched as his girlfriend, the cheating hoe herself, walked into the forest, cursing lowly to herself when her bare feet hit the thorny ground. Serves the bitch right... Nick grinned a little to himself, his mind clicking a little as he emanated a low and demonic chuckle. She was all alone now, all alone in the woods where anything could get her.

Time to teach the cheating whore a lesson.

Elisabeth smiled to herself as she found the small worn path she was so used to walking in the woods to her secret grove. Her feet were cut and scrapped from all the jagged rocks and thorns she had stepped on and brushed past as she tried to find her way there. Now, on a easily recognizable place, she could just let her feet do the walking as her mind drifted back to the field.

They had talked about his little plan, how Tina and Toby had goaded him to do, and how Hades had already given him permission, as well as a few... disturbing things. Like how he wasn't exactly a demigod anymore, since he had been training with Hades in the ways of the dead. He described everything, from the story of how he and the other two had been created to the intricate architecture of the dark palace of opal and lava rock in the underworld, from how to navigate the Elysium field to the secrets of the gods of Olympus themselves. It was all so much to take in at once. And how he had kissed her...

She blushed at the very thought of them, her lips tingling ever so slightly like sparks were still flying. She felt guilty though. Nick was technically still her boyfriend, and if he knew she had kissed his brother and loved it... She stopped dead in her tracks and stiffened, her mind going back to that night a week ago when Nick hand beaten her. She could honestly say that she was scared of a repeat of this incident. Closing her eyes, she took in shaky breaths and imagined what it would be like to break up with Nick. She could just hear him screaming at her, calling her horrible things meant to hit her hard in the heart like cannon fire. She could just feel his fist and his steal toed boots digging into her skin and her bones breaking underneath them. She hadn't realized she was crying, till she felt a soft hand whip away the tears, another holding her cheek gently. It wasn't the warm hands of Henry, she knew that. His touch would set her sink on fire and make it tingle with energy. She froze, keeping her eyes closed in case it was just a figment of her imagination. But as soon as she heard it speak, her blood went ice cold.

"Shhh, love. It's all right now."

Nick had fallowed her the whole way, plotting the perfect way to make her pay for what she had done. Even if Henry was there and probably seduce her with his intoxicating ways that made Nick want to vomit, she was still responsible for not resisting. He had even figured out the perfect way too, until she stopped in the path suddenly. Curiously, he slowly crept ahead of her, thinking maybe this was the place to execute his plan.

Till he saw the tears in her gently closed eyes.

In all four years he had been with her, he could honestly say he never seen her cry. Never. Not even when he kicked her, she cried out in pain, but never shed a tear. She was the tough girl, the one to fight with every ounce of energy she could muster, the one to peruse any quest she saw fit. But now, seeing her start to break down alone, she looked like a small child who was forced to grow up. Why hadn't he seen that before? Why did she deceive him like that? He already knew the answer, but he rarely ever noticed it before, even when it was in front of his face.

She didn't want to worry anyone. She cared too much to see them concerned.

He couldn't help but feel pity for her. She was probably going to keep Henry's little stolen kisses a secret from him, because she didn't want to make him upset. Maybe... Maybe she was forced to? Maybe she had no choice in the matter? That had to be it, it had to be. She was loyal, faithful, and true to the end... But never would she do anything to hurt him unless she was forced...

And that made the rage for his half brother burn even brighter in that growing spot in his heart.

Slowly, he snuck in front of her and gently whipped away her tears. They were like clear dewdrops on morning grass, her skin feeling softer than the finest silks. It was strange how new she felt under his touch, how his views of her were always changing. From nobody, to nerd, to somebody, to... Perfect. Even when she flinched under his soft caresses of her face, he still found so many things that had changed over the years. Her little star birthmark under her left ear was more pronounced than it originally was, her hair had natural dewdrops that stuck out in the light now, her sent he used to know of ocean breeze and lavender was now mixed with morning dew and natural roses. She had changed, and so had he.

"Shhh, love. It's all right now." He whispered, frowning a little when she flinched and squeezed her eyes tight shut. He had never seen her like this... Was she... "Are you scared of me?"

Her eyes snapped open, her amber hues more pronounced and glowing in the darkness, flashing a emotion he never seen her show , as she backed away from him. She looked around for someone, backing herself into a tree as she realized there was no one to come and help her. It wounded him to see her like that. It shamed him for changing her love to fear with those three stupid kicks.

This was all his fault.

"Stay back!" Elisabeth shouted, terror clinging to her voice as he stepped forward. Her heart was racing so fast in her chest, she thought it might burst right there and then. Nick had come out of nowhere, carrying a parcel wrapped in his grease stained shirt. For all she knew, it was something to beat her down with. Permanently this time.

She noticed his eyes flash a hurt expression, coupled with a look of pity. He pitied her? Why the hell would he do that? He was the person who was going to probably kill her if she tried to run, why pity the victim? To make it worse for them? Hell, anything was possible at this point.

"Elisabeth," He hummed, his normal cocky smile spreading on her lips. "Babe, it's ok. I won't hurt you. I promise. I swear, I came out here to find you." Her heart stopped dead, mid heartbeat even. Had he seen Henry? Did he see them kiss? Or did he just see a figure disappear? 'For Henry's sake, lets hope he didn't see anything.' She thought.

"I saw you in the grove with him..." He said, making sure our eyes were locked, his intense stares burning into my soul. "My brother has something on you, I know it. But it'll all be ok soon, know that I know how he's doing it." With every word he spoke, he got closer. And with every step, Elisabeth's face paled. "Don't worry, baby." He cooed, cupping his free hand around her cheek. "It will all be fine once I deal with him."

She wanted to laugh at him, a full out humorous laugh that she saved only for something truly idiotic. Nick take on Henry? That was hysterical! Henry was way out of his league now, he didn't have a chance. But it stuck in her throat, the intense eyes of her boyfriend causing her to stay silent. She had seen those eyes before, when they were young and stupid. He had that look on his face when I wore the bikini for a late night swim date, just the two of them. Those raping eyes had looked over every inch of her, but he didn't make a move. But by how close he was now... His eyes might not just rape her to night.

"I made you something." He said softly, unfolding the shirt between them, looking down at hit so their foreheads touched. Writhing the clothing, was an iron collar speckled with bronze and silver so it looked gothic and mysterious. Elisabeth saw it as surrender. "I know how much you said you wanted a collar, but I always told you no. Well, I'm sorry, I was a jerk for saying that... And I was horrible when I kicked was a jerk for every other time as well, and I feel horrible about everything. Please..." He leaned in closer and pecked her lips gently. There were no sparks there like there used to, they were duller, colder. She didn't hate it, but she didn't like it either. "Forgive me?"

She sighed, leaning her forehead against his as she looked down at the collar with a sad expression. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find forgiveness for his abuse. She shouldn't. But there was some small part of her, deep down, that really wanted to. "Nick," she said softly, barley heard above the summer breeze. "I don't know if I can..."

He smiled a little, his hands unclasping the collar's latch and placing it around her neck. It was cold and emotionless around her skin, yet it was thin and sort of unnoticeable. "Give it time..." He said softly. "I understand." Something in her clicked, but she didn't like it at all.

He was trying to earn her love back, and it was somewhat sweet... But something told her it wasn't for her at all. He kissed her again, pushing up against her gently as his hands held her waist in place against the tree. Without her consent, her lips moved against his and she kissed him back just as slowly, falling in sync with him. Her body was a a puppet's for some odd reason, and Nick was her puppeteer.

"Close your eyes." he whispered gently in her ear, and they closed without hesitation. "Good girl." She mentally cursed herself for this. What was she doing? This wasn't her! This was-

She felt his kiss deepen a little, forcing her head back against the tree as he licked her lips for permission, his hands holding onto her thighs so that the legs were raised and latched around his body. What was he doing? She felt one of his hand move up under her long shirt and grasp her boob gently, squeezing it a little. No. No no no no!

"Stop." She growled, her hands tangling into his hair without her wanting them to. He was kissing her neck gently, sucking on the delicate flesh between her neck and shoulders, leaving small noticeable bruises behind. "Nick, stop it."

"Sorry." He answered, looking up at her and nipping the collar, thrusting his hip a little to readjust her against him. "I've starved myself for long-"

"Please..." Elisabeth's voice broke a little, she felt a tear fall down her face. She admitted it: she was terrified of this. Whatever magic he put into the collar, she didn't like it. "Please... Stop..." He looked surprised and horrified at the same time, immediately dropping her to her feet and taking the collar off.

"Baby, please, don't cry." He pleaded, holding her face in his hands, his eyes full of dread. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I wasn't going to go far, I swear. Oh shit, please, don't cry." He pulled her into a loving embrace, one sided to say the least. "I don't know what to do when you cry." She cringed a little when he said that, more tears falling down her face.

'Damn. Fucking. Son. Of. A. Bitch. Was. Going. To. Rot. In. Hell.' Was all she thought, her thoughts a broken up mess, where most of the words she wanted were a scrambled up jigsaw puzzle. Oh, gods, when will this nightmare all be over? When will this all just poof out of existence.

'Tomorrow.'

The dead wood nymph watched from her hiding place among the trees as she watched the scene unfurl. From the stopping of her in the road till now. The demigod boy hugging the godling girl, repeatedly saying he was sorry and for her not to cry. She could tell that if the godling had a knife, she would have stabbed the guy through a billion times.

"Poor girl." She whispered to herself. "She's in too deep with this one."

Her eyes flickered to down the lane a little, where something was watching other than her. A monster? No. Another wood nymph, a young oak tree to be exact. And boy, did he looked scared of the guy. Slipping down, she pulled him over a little, scaring him out of his bark.

"Hello." Willow said with a smile. He stared at her, up and down, and stayed silent for a few moments.

"Hi?"

"Tell me," Willow said, pointing to the godling girl. "Who is she?"

The teen oak looked at her quizzically. "Elisabeth Walker. The man next to her is her boyfriend. Nick." He spat out the word like it was a disease. "Hate his guts for what he does to her. The dead willow gasped. Elisabeth was Master Henry's girl! Why was this Nick character getting in the way? "Because he hates his brother."

She looked at the young nymph, who was looking at his feet. "What did you say?"

"Nick hates his brother Henry, who was here tonight in the grove with her. He's sweeter than Nick, just from what I saw." The young tree nymph said, rubbing his hands on his tunic. "But who knows. Can't judge a book by it's cover."

Willow nodded slowly, looking back at the two who were starting to walk back to came, Nick still holding her hand in one and the collar in the other. "What's your name?"

"Oak. But I like Mark better." She smiled and messed up his dark creamy brown hair, her hands rustling up some leaves from the mass.

"All right Mark, I need your help." She said with a smile. He blinked a little, looking the crazy nymph up and down before nodding slowly.

"What do you need?"


	23. Chapter 23

When the two of them got back to camp, Nick had promised to keep her safe from Henry tomarrow. God's he was an idiot sometimes, a sweet one, but still an idiot. A cloaked figure watched as he took her to the Big House, and heard every word her father's screamed well into the night. Honsetly, the figure just wished it would stop.

"What are you doing here?" The cloaked person turned around and smiled at who had spoke, though from the looks of him he was very well. Minus the anger he harberged for his father not letting him drink. " It's rude to come here unnanounced."

"Oh, hush, Dionysus." It said in soothing tones. "You know why I am here."

The God of Whine and Festivities grumbled a little, crossing his arms like a little lad that was disagreeing with his mother. "She isn't ready for this. If you wake up the last kid-"

"She is, though, that she is." It whispered, tuging at the cloak like it was the only thing keeping her warm. "And her brother Skoteimí Fōriá has already grown to be more powerful than expected. And she is just unlocking her hidden abilities. It is time the last of the three to raise."

"Ok, look." Mr. D said as he got in front of the faceless figure and glared up. Even for a short mortal body, he still had an air of anger to him. "I agreed to let her stay here, hell, I made her welcome here! I made sure to fallow every instruction you gave, to make sure she had a past instead of being a amnisiac, and I even went through the trouble of making sure she fit in. I want my payment before you bring that zapping crazy-"

"He's not going here." It said in a carefree tone. He stared in shock as the mysterious person walked along the path that led to the Arena. "She and her brother are going to stay in the underworld, where they will find their brother and wake him up. I came here," Turning towards him, he noticed those amber eyes ablaze with pure light. "to offer you a reward and to ask you a favor."

He paused, the look of sceptisism on his face proving to her that he was not easily swayed. "You got it on you?" It grinned a little and held up the brown paper back that outlined a whine bottle within. "Hmmm, right year for it?"

"As requested, and I even made sure you could drink it without it turning to water." He's eyes lit up with glee as he reached for it, only to have it pulled out of his reach as I clucked my tounge. "But, I need your help with this. And as soon as they are off this plane, you can have this reward." The god groaned and leaned back on his heels, glaring up at her.

"All right, What do you need?

It was morning when Elisabeth even processed what the hell happened, she already locked in her room and grounded for the rest of summer. What she do wrong?! All she did was go swimming with parental supervision, get a knife to her throat, get taken to see her changed friend/possible boyfriend, found out by my current boyfriend, taken to the Big House because he thinks he's protecting me, and says that he snuck me away from Alex and Jonny to apologize. No big deal!

"Ok, that's a lie." She muttered to herself as she laid down on her bed. "That was so a big deal." But when she closed her eyes, she couldn't get any sleep. She couldn't lay still, her mind racing around like a mini Sonic the Hedgehog in her brain. She didn't even feel tired at all, she actually felt empowered! In a good way, not a power mad way, too. Like, something inside her that's been locked away for so long just reared its head and washes over her in waves.

Finally giving up on sleep, she got up and walked over to the window. Looking out at the breaking dawn, she smiled to herself as the soft colors of sunrise blurred like water colors over the canvass sky. There were still a few stars that were disappearing in the sky, but she couldn't help watching the sunrise blot them out slowly.

Looking up at the sky, she smiles and closed her eyes as a warm summer breeze flew through her longer auburn hair, the dewdrop jewels sparkling in the sunlight. She may be trapped, but she's been like this before. All she needs is a little help. Especially in the love department, she needed a lot of help with that. Praying to Aphrodite, she simply asked for a little understanding in all this madness that was happening.

No answer.

"Well," Elisabeth said, not even disappointed anymore by the lack of communication. "looks like I'm on my own."

She already had a plan, but by Zeus' mighty Lightning Bolt, if this ended badly she was going to slap herself in the face. Very, very hard. But for everything to set in motion, she needed a way out of here. But how?

Henry ran through the halls of the dark castle, the biggest smile on his face that brightened up everything like a sun, as he tried to find his temporary parents. Hopefully, he would catch them before they tried to piss each other off.

"I told you he need more time!" He slowed his pace as he came to the great hall, Persephone's voice ringing through the empty hall like a amplifier. "Why did you do this to him! To his love!"

"My lovely blossom," Hades' rock star sexy voice hummed, and Henry could imagine how he was sipping his wine from a skull wine glass and sitting at the head with his wife standing to face him in a mysterious rage. "you forget Henry is still young, and that he is, in a sense, me."

"That is were you are wrong." She hissed, her seemingly beautiful voice taking on a demonic tone. "He will be better than you. He is not you, he is Henry-"

"His name isn't Henry, it's Skoteimí Fōriá."

"Whatever." The goddess hissed, standing up. "I'm going to see my mother. You will have time to find out what monster your making out of him."

"Monster? He's a god!" There was a pause, and a small sigh that made Henry's heart sink deep into his chest.

"But is that what he wants?" And in a void of sound and a rush of wind, she was gone. Leaving Hades alone to sink into his chair a little more.

Henry poked his head around the corner, Hades back to him as he stared out the window in his leather jacket and pants ensemble and his greasy hair tied back in a short pony tail. Henry, against his better judgement, slowly approached and made his way over to him.

"Fight with the wife?"

"Yep." Hades said, his eyes filled with a sadness that transcended definition and time itself. "I hate to make her angry at me, or sad, or even a little bit lonely." The god of the Underworld sighed a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "I just want to make her happy."

Henry nodded, laying his head against the side of the deathly cold rock and looking out at the damned domain. "I know how you feel... I did that with my step-brother and the love of my life."

"Really?" Hades asked, looking at him in shock, but Henry didn't even notice.

"Yeah." Henry said, his eyes ghosting over the dark and red terrain like he was searching for something. "She had been going out with him for a week when she ran into me, and she was the most beautiful thing in creation in my eyes. I couldn't help but want to be anything for her, make her smile like she did when we bumped into each other that first day."

"I think I hear a but coming up." Hades said, listening to the young godling with interest.

"Yeah. My half brother, a son of Hephaestus, got to her first... And they have been dating for four years now."

Hades made a hissing sound, like someone had just hit him in the heart. "Oh man... Out of all the things I can make for punishments in this Hell, that is one I would never want to send anyone into."

"It was Hell." Henry agreed, closing his eyes and letting smoke come out of his lungs as he breathed out a long held breath. "But for her... I would gladly go through it over and over again for a million years just to be close to her like we are." He smiled a little, a warm feeling in his heart surpassing the burning sensation within. "She and I were together, love wise or friend wise, and I would gladly be her friend than away from her at all."

Hades stayed silent, looking at the somewhat human creation that was meant not to feel a thing, and couldn't help but understand what he was saying. "You have changed so much."

Henry smiled a little and nodded. "Especially since I went to see her last night and kissed her."

"Really? You sly dog!" Hades laughed, clapping the godling on the back. "And what she do?"

"Kissed back and even agreed to coming down here."

"Really?" Hades looked taken aback. "She is willingly coming?" Henry nodded, a big grin on his face.

"Her boyfriend recently abused her, sending her to the hospital, and she realized she isn't in love with him." He looked away from the window and at the closest thing he had come to a father in forever, only to have his smile fall off his face when he saw the god's cloudy and dark expression. "What's wrong?"

"Skoteimí Fōriá, you must understand something crucial to this relationship you are running into." The god walked over tot he table and picked up an apple, throwing it at Henry. He caught it with ease, the skin rotting a little under his touch. He stopped eating for a reason. " A son or daughter of Hephaestus can be a double sided coin. It's rare, but some of his sons become very attached to the one's they love. And from what you have said about their relationship, he will fallow her down here just to get her back. And I know you love her, but if he does come here..." He looked away, down the table length to the chair with a man still sitting in it, his skin acting like seran-wrap around it's skeleton features. "Are you willing to do anything to keep her?"

Henry didn't even hesitate, his eyes glowing red and black like a angry god, his form standing tall in his orange camp shirt and ratted jean shorts. "I am." Hades smiled, opening his arms up for a hug but clapping his hands instead and sighed.

"All right, when is this all happening?"

"This afternoon." Hades jumped a little, grinning just a little more. Henry couldn't help but see the concerned and crazy look in his eyes.

"Well, then we have no time to loose."

"Elisabeth, aren't you suppose to be grounded?" Elisabeth stopped a little in her tracks, turning behind her to see Mr. D sipping on a glass of wine. More like water in his case since everything alcoholic he touched turned to water. Didn't make for a happy god of parties most days. "Or are you trying to sneak out to see your friends?"

"Uhhh, I was..." She was never good at lying, so she slumped her shoulders and looked down at her shoes. She had changed out of her dress shirt and bikini into a black skirt, fishnet stockings, Doc Martian's boots, and a Walking Dead tee shirt just for this little plan. Looks like it wasn't going to happen. "Yeah, sneaking out."

He regarded her with bored eyes, then looked back at his wine glass. "You know, they really love you like their own. Their just scared for you."

"I know" Elisabeth said, after a long pause due to shock.

"Yeah." He said, sipping his water and wrinkling his nose. "Tastes bad."

"May I?" Elisabeth asked, extending her hand. He gave it to her and she took a sip of it. It tasted like lake water, but she knew it was tap water. Running her hand over it, she let the taste in her mouth subside as she tried to think of what better water it could have been was. "You know, you shouldn't drink tap water. Poland Springs works."

He took the glass and shrugged. "Just get going, your dads have practice till two today, so hurry home and try not to get caught."

"Will do." As she ran away, she realized how weird it was that he was actually letting her go. Oh well, she needed to get this done. This plan called for it.

As Mr. D watched the teenager run off, he tasted the water she had tried, and grinned a little. "Damn kid." He took a swig of the now purified water, the clean taste clearing his pallet of any of the disgusting taste that was left in his mouth. The figure from before came out of nowhere, handing him his bottle of wine.

"As promised."

"Next time, give me a challenge." He grunted as he snatched the bottle away from it's gloved hands. "Now, anything I should know before I get too into my drinking?" She looked after the auburn haired girl as she started to run to the forges, a smile playing on her face.

"This is going to be a long day."


End file.
